Kentucky Health Issues Poll (KHIP) regional findings are now available. The data are broken down into five regions: Eastern Kentucky, Greater Lexington, Greater Louisville, Northern Kentucky, and Western Kentucky. Each regional report outlines respondents’ answers to various KHIP questions and then compares regional responses to statewide findings.

“The Kentucky Health Issues Poll allows us to determine what issues matter most to people in different parts of the Commonwealth,” said Susan Zepeda, CEO and President of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.Statewide KHIP results indicate the majority of Kentucky adults favor a statewide smoke-free law, view health care costs as a financial burden, support integration of mental health and medical services, do not have dental insurance and say they need more information about how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will impact them personally.

Key differences by region include:

Western Kentucky: residents were less likely to have dental insurance and less likely to know someone who had experienced problems as a result of abusing prescription pain relievers.

Greater Louisville: adults were more likely to have dental insurance, support the legalization of marijuana under any circumstance and be concerned with air quality.

Greater Lexington: adults were less likely to have been prescribed a pain reliever that could not be purchased over the counter and less likely to change or limit their activities when they hear of an air quality alert being issued.

Northern Kentucky: adults were less likely to have visited a dentist in the past year and less likely to have a favorable view of the Patient and Affordable Care Act.

Eastern Kentucky: adults were more likely to rely on home remedies or over the counter drugs instead of going to the doctor and recognize that drug poisonings/overdoses were the leading cause of unintentional death in Kentucky.

“Local health issue data can be extremely useful for policymakers and health officials, especially those working on local initiatives to improve the health of their community,” concluded Zepeda.

The KHIP was funded by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. The poll was conducted September 20-October 14, 2012, by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. A random sample of 1,680 adults from throughout Kentucky was interviewed by telephone, including landlines and cell phones. The poll has a margin of error of ±5.3%.