health

High unemployment, child poverty contribute to unhealthy communities, rankings show

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted April 11, 2011

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Various environmental factors contribute to disparities in residents' health and life expectancies in more than 3,000 counties nationwide and the District of Columbia, the latest County Health Rankings show.

The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released the annual rankings on March 30 (link). They examine how factors such as education, jobs and income affect people's health.

The least healthy counties have significantly lower high school graduation rates, higher unemployment, more children living in poverty and fewer grocery stores or farmer's markets.

"The rankings really show us with solid data that there is a lot more to health than health care," said Patrick Remington, MD, MPH, project director and associate dean for public health at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. "Where we live, learn, work and play affect our health."

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also announced that it will award grants to a maximum of 14 communities this year to help them improve their rankings.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/04/11/hlbf0411.htm.

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