Health Profile of De Soto Parish, Louisiana
De Soto Parish Health Score
The Map AI Health Index is a score that reflects local life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment to help you quickly compare the overall health and well-being of different areas.
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D
De Soto Parish Well below averageLess healthy than 92% of counties in Louisiana
Source: Map AI Methodology
General Health Overview
| Metric | De Soto Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 73.2 | 75.1 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 5.2% | 7.8% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 26.1% | 22.3% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in De Soto Parish is 73.2 years, about 1.9 years shorter than the Louisiana average of 75.1 years. The uninsured rate is 5.2%, lower than the Louisiana average of 7.8%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 26.1% of residents, higher than the Louisiana average of 22.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
9,947 residents in De Soto Parish are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 434 189 men · 245 women
- 75–84 1,523 602 men · 921 women
- 65–74 2,710 1,247 men · 1,464 women
- 50–64 5,280 2,507 men · 2,772 women
Younger residents
6,152 residents in De Soto Parish are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 1,999 1,012 boys · 987 girls
- 7–12 1,857 968 boys · 889 girls
- 3–7 1,337 716 boys · 621 girls
- 0–3 959 492 boys · 467 girls
About 2,424 residents in De Soto Parish (9.0% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 73.2 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | De Soto Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 17.7% | 14.5% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 6.5% | 6.2% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.8% | 7.8% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 46.4% | 40.3% | 34.3% |
The rate of diabetes in De Soto Parish is about 22% higher than in Louisiana. The rate of obesity in De Soto Parish is about 15% higher than in Louisiana.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | De Soto Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 25.1% | 23.9% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 16.1% | 18.5% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 37.7% | 33.8% | 25.1% |
On average, health behaviors in De Soto Parish are about the same as in Louisiana.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 51,656 cigarettes a day, 1.5 million a month, or 18.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 568,215 minutes a day and 207.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in De Soto Parish is 73.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 5.39 lifetimes a year.
* Source: Shaw M, Mitchell R, Dorling D. "Time for a smoke? One cigarette reduces your life by 11 minutes." BMJ. 2000;320:53.
Illustrative only. This is not an estimate of how many people actually die from smoking each day or year - it's a rough, order-of-magnitude comparison meant to help grasp the scale of smoking in this area. We take no responsibility for any decisions made based on this figure.
Air Quality
| Metric | De Soto Parish | Louisiana Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 8.03 | 7.40 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 8.0 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in De Soto Parish is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
De Soto Parish, LA Health Compared With Nearby Counties
De Soto Parish, LA is the 2nd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 27,025 residents against a local median of 22,726. The measure that sets De Soto Parish, LA apart most is uninsured: 5.2%, 36% below the local median of 8.1%. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Obesity tells the same story from another angle: 46.4% against a local median of 40.3%, 15% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: uninsured runs ahead of the neighbourhood while obesity runs behind it, so De Soto Parish, LA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread 13.7% on uninsured, so De Soto Parish, LA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. De Soto Parish, LA has the lowest uninsured of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Soto Parish, LA | 27,025 | 73.2 yrs #6/6 | 5.2% #1/6 | 46.4% #6/6 |
| Red River Parish, LA | 7,443 | 74.3 yrs | 8.1% | 41.3% |
| Shelby County, TX | 24,155 | 75.2 yrs | 20.9% | 40.3% |
| Sabine Parish, LA | 21,977 | 75.1 yrs | 7.2% | 38.3% |
| Caddo Parish, LA | 229,305 | 74.3 yrs | 7.4% | 44.6% |
| Panola County, TX | 22,726 | 76.3 yrs | 17.0% | 37.6% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, De Soto Parish, Louisiana has an overall health index grade of D, making it about on par with Louisiana, and somewhat worse than the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in De Soto Parish, Louisiana.
What is the health grade for De Soto Parish, Louisiana?
De Soto Parish, Louisiana has a Map AI Health Index grade of D, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a D grade means residents face somewhat worse health outcomes than the U.S. average.
Is De Soto Parish, Louisiana one of the healthiest counties in Louisiana?
De Soto Parish ranks 59th healthiest out of 64 counties in Louisiana by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
How long do people live in De Soto Parish, Louisiana?
People in De Soto Parish, Louisiana can expect to live 73.2 years on average, 1.9 years shorter than the Louisiana average of 75.1.
What is the uninsured rate in De Soto Parish, Louisiana?
5.2% of residents in De Soto Parish, Louisiana have no health insurance, about 1 in 19 people, 2.7 points below the Louisiana rate of 7.8%.
How common is obesity in De Soto Parish, Louisiana?
46.4% of adults in De Soto Parish, Louisiana are classified as obese, about 1 in 2, 6.1 points above the Louisiana rate of 40.3%.
What health issue is more common in De Soto Parish, Louisiana than elsewhere?
Compared with Louisiana as a whole, diabetes stands out most: the adult rate here is 17.7%, about 22% higher than the Louisiana rate of 14.5%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in De Soto Parish, Louisiana go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 51,656 cigarettes a day, 1.5 million a month, or 18.9 million a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 568,215 minutes a day and 207.4 million a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in De Soto Parish is 73.2 years, that's roughly equivalent to 0.01 lifetimes a day, or 5.39 lifetimes a year.
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