The County Health Rankings look at 30 health factors that impact life spans and people’s quality of life, which is measured by the number of people in poor or fair health, the number of residents’ self-reported poor physical or mental health days, and low birth weights.
Health rankings released Wednesday, March 29, show Orange County residents are among the healthiest Californians, while those living in Riverside, Los Angeles and especially San Bernardino counties aren’t faring nearly as well.
The eighth annual county-by-county rankings, based primarily on 2008 through 2015 data, indicate that the places we call home can have a big impact on how long and well we live, according to the report’s authors.
Health factors are a combination of:
• behaviors, such as tobacco use, alcoholism, sexually transmitted disease, diet/exercise and access to healthy food and exercise/recreation spaces
• quality of/access to medical care, including dental and mental health providers
• physical environment, including air/water pollution, commutes and housing costs/crowding
• socioeconomic factors, such as education, crime, income and family/social support
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Population Health Institute put the results online so residents, health care practitioners and community leaders can see how opportunities, conditions and programs or policies impact people’s health.
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