How healthy is your county?

There is an important report that came out a few weeks ago that didn’t get as much press as I hoped it would.  County Health Rankings is an annual report, published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a think tank in Washington, DC.

They have a great interactive chart and you can look at every county in the US to see how you rank by state.  I live in one of the healthier states (Massachusetts is 3rd overall) and I live in the 3rd healthiest county in the state so I’m feeling pretty good.  Go ahead and see how you rank … then come back!

The findings are interesting … generally you’re going to be healthier if:

• you live in an urban/surburban environment vs. rural
• you’re well educated
• you don’t smoke
• you have easy access to health care
• your income is above the poverty line
• you have access to healthy foods
• you have access to outdoor areas

This report highlights some of the big social issues that are woven into the fiber of our country.  When I see people like Jamie Oliver I applaud them for their efforts to improve the lives of the people who have the least information and the least access. Oliver is about to launch Food Revolution, a show where he goes into a local community in West Virginia and teaches people how to cook healthy food.

If you live in a poorly ranked county, what can you do to help your neighbors?  There is a significant increase of premature death in the poorest counties; you’re literally losing your friends and family sooner than you have to.  What can you do about that?

Something to think about,

Lisa

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