LITTLE ROCK, AR - The third annual County Health Rankings were released today. The Rankings measure how healthy people are and how long they live in more than 3,000 counties, including those in Arkansas.
The Rankings include a snapshot of nearly all counties in each state with an interactive map that makes it easy to compare your county to others. This year’s Rankings also include several new measures, such as how many fast food restaurants are in a county and levels of physical inactivity among residents. Arkansas' county rankings can be seen
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/arkansas/2012/rankings/outcomes/overall.
Across the nation, some factors that influence health, such as smoking, availability of primary care physicians, and social support, show highs and lows across all regions. Meanwhile other factors reflect some distinct regional patterns, such as:
- Excessive drinking rates are highest in the northern states.
- Rates of teen births, sexually transmitted infections, and children in poverty are highest across the southern states.
- Unemployment rates are lowest in the northeastern, Midwest, and central plains states.
- Motor vehicle crash deaths are lowest in the northeastern and upper Midwest states.
