Health Rankings Shows SEI Needs Workout

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) – Most of southeast Indiana is among the healthier half of Indiana’s 92 counties, but Switzerland County may need to shape up.

The third annual County Health Rankings has been assembled by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It ranks the health of residents in every county in the 50 states.

The report uses data including mortality rates, smoking, obesity, socioeconomic factors, and more. New influences on this year’s report are the number of fast food restaurants in a county and physical activity among residents.

“The County Health Rankings show us that much of what influences our health happens outside of the doctor’s office.  In fact, where we live, learn, work and play has a big role in determining how healthy we are and how long we live,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

In Indiana, Hamilton County was the healthiest, while Scott County was the unhealthiest.

Ohio County was the southeast Indiana five-county region’s healthiest, ranking 23rd in the state. The county was the best in the state in the Physical Environment category, which considers air pollution, access to recreational facilities, and access to healthy foods.

Dearborn was 26th overall, Ripley was 38th, and Franklin was 45th.

Switzerland County was among Indiana’s unhealthiest counties at 87th. Switzerland ranked just behind Ohio County in the Physical Environment category at 2nd, but did not fair well in most other categories. The county was 90th in Clinical Care, 88th in Mortality, 79th in Morbidity, 72nd in Health Behaviors, and 60th in Social and Economic Factors.

“Community leaders, businesses and citizens need to work together to help improve their county’s health environment, and everyone in the state will reap the benefits of good health,” said State Health Commissioner Gregory Larkin, M.D. 

This year’s report also includes a section called “County Health Roadmaps,” tips to help counties and individual citizens become healthier.

The full 2012 health rankings can be found online at www.countyhealthrankings.org.