NASHVILLE
(WATE/AP) - A new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and
the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute ranks the
relative health of people living in Tennessee's counties.
The
report released Wednesday lists Williamson County as the healthiest
among the state's 95 counties. The affluent county is immediately south
of Nashville.
Blount County ranked the highest in East Tennessee on the list, coming in at number four.
Some people in Blount County say they are doing their best to make healthy choices, for both themselves and their family.
"I've
got a 15-month-old daughter and we really try to instill in her, she
loves vegetables, green beans, and carrots, unfortunately I don't
really, but she gets it from her mom. But we really try to instill that
in her, eating really good foods and what not," said Blount County
resident Philip Sharp.
Each county was rated on overall health
outcomes, which covers premature death rate and people's mental and
physical health while they're alive.
Other factors like health care access were measured too.
Dr. Hal Naramore is the chief medical officer at Blount Memorial Hospital.
"Blount
County is blessed with a coalition of people involved in the community,
the county government and the hospital and we've actually had a health
initiative in Blount County for thirteen years, where those three groups
have worked together for the betterment of health in Blount County
overall," Dr. Naramore said.
One mark against Blount County: the number of fast food restaurants.
Dr. Naramore says the big chains are doing better about offering healthy choices.
"What
I would encourage people to do is study the choices that are available
to them if they are choosing a fast food restaurant, and maybe consider
not their traditional choice, but maybe some of the newer options which
will be a little bit healthier for them," explained Dr. Naramore.
The
rankings don't just limit counties by physical health attributes, they
are also ranked in part by high school graduation rate and crime rate.
At the opposite end of the rankings is Grundy County, on the southern end of the Cumberland Plateau.
The
ranking includes data on the rate of people dying before age 75, high
school graduation rates, unemployment, limited access to healthy foods,
air and water quality, income, and rates of smoking, obesity and teen
births.
The rankings are intended to help communities create
solutions that make it easier for people to be healthy in their own
communities.
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