This is Knox, NY; a small rural town located in Albany County. As of 2018, 2,894 people live in Knox.
https://www.knoxny.org/gallery.html

The Socio-Economic Determinants of Health

In order to fully understand factors that influence the health of the inhabitants of Knox, it is important to look at the socio-economic determinants in the area. This first post will explore the population of Knox and then relevant factors that determines health in this town.

Demographics 

• Age: The median age of Knox, NY is 40.5. This is approximately 10 percent higher than the median age within all of Albany County. 
• Sex: Males make up 54% of the population while women make up 46% of Knox. 
• Race and Ethnicity: There is not a very diverse population in Knox, in fact 99% of the population is white. While there are people of other races and ethnicity, they are in the overwhelming minority. 

Economics

The median household income in Knox, NY is $89,625. This is about 1.4 times the median household income throughout all of Albany County. Knox has a poverty level of 2.6% which is one fifth of the average poverty line throughout Albany.

Transportation to work is, on average, 34.5 minutes. The larger surrounding cities such as Albany, Schenectady, and Amsterdam are all approximately 30 minutes away. This is constant with the average commute to work because most people travel into these cities for work. 79% of those who make this commute say they drove alone, while 11% said they carpooled to work. Only about 1% of the population relies on public transportation. This is very low but it does make sense because there are little to no bus stops in town.

Families

There are 977 households in Knox, with an average of 3 people per household. The majority (75%) of these households are that of married couples, but 16% are some one-parent households. 13% have a female head of the house, while 3% are male-headed.

Housing

The majority of the homes in Knox, NY are single unit, owner occupied. 92% of the homes are owner occupied, while 8% are rented. The median cost of an owner-occupied house in Knox is $236,000, 10 percent higher than the median home value across Albany County.

Education

95.8% of Knox’s population has graduated high school and 36.8% have obtained a bachelors degree or higher.

Healthcare Resources 

As far as healthcare offices in Knox, there are none. However, there are offices in neighboring towns. They would not be hard to access as long as one has access to a car.

Other Resources

• Services such as the local ambulance and fire department are both volunteer-based.
• The Town of Knox, paired with neighboring towns Westerlo and Berne have a Little League Program, encouraging children to be active in a community sport team.
• The Knox Town Park is also a great place to get outdoors. A recent path was just put in which is a very nice spot to run/walk. One way of trying to engage the community at the park is the StoryWalk, an interactive nature walk throughout the park.

Our Class Definition of Health:

Health is determined by one’s physical and mental well being which is directly impacted by personal choice and various social determinants (socioeconomic status, access to resources, racial disparities, etc.) tailored to an individual’s need.

Relevant Factors the Determine Health in Knox, NY

The overwhelming majority of Knox inhabitant are above the poverty line. One major factor in being able to access care is whether or not one has access to a car. If the answer is no, it would be almost impossible to gain access unless one called the ambulance. As far as racial disparities, there is not much, though there is some, diversity throughout Knox. A worthy note is that there are no healthcare offices within Knox, so the doctors that are chosen are highly dependent on where the closest office is. Since this is such a rural area, this is variable depending on where one lives within Knox.

COVID-19 has had an effect on Knox, NY. While Knox is in Albany County (Albany County has approx. 3,400 cases, however there are significantly less cases specifically in Knox), there are very few, if any COVID cases. Still, many town meetings are done via zoom in order to be sure. Since the median age is on the older side, it is important to do so.