The Northeast ― especially Massachusetts ― is the healthiest place in the country for women and children to live, according to the “America’s Health Rankings” report published this month by United Health Foundation.
The report compared all 50 states based on 60 health measures in four categories: health behavior of residents, policy, socio-structural factors and health care.
The researchers looked specifically at women’s health. They analyzed factors including the rate of sexually transmitted diseases, obesity and smoking (the behavioral component); the number of publicly-funded women’s health services and rate of health insurance (policy); food insecurity, intimate partner violence and poverty (socio-structural) and cervical cancer screenings, dental care and vaccinations (health care).
Infant health was compared on metrics like infant mortality, being breastfed, and receiving a home health visit as a baby. For children and teens, health measures included using drugs, graduating high school, having obesity and adverse childhood experiences.
[For more of this story, written by Erin Schumaker, go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...2175e4b024a52d2c7cf7]
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