When it comes to health, Arizona has not always been a high ranking state. In fact, we only recently have started improving our health after a particularly fattening time in the ‘90s. Last year, we were ranked as the 29th healthiest state in the US, so we’re seeing some slight improvements. If we break that down into counties, we can really see where health thrives and suffers.
Today, however, we are going to report the good news and focus on the healthiest counties according to County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. The data included is just a snapshot of all the different factors that go into determining the health rate of each county, so keep in mind that some counties do better in certain areas that others. Also, in general, lower numbers are a good thing when looking at this particular list. The only exception here is the food environment index, which measures both reliable access to food and access to healthy foods. Ideally, that number should be at 10.
- Santa Cruz County
wplynn/Flickr Rate of poor or fair health: 15% Adult obesity rate: 23% Food environment index: 7.3 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 20% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 6,053 years Rate of uninsured population: 20%
- Maricopa County
Kevin Dooley/Flickr Rate of poor or fair health: 15% Adult obesity rate: 23% Food environment index: 7.3 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 20% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 6,053 years Rate of uninsured population: 20%
- Yuma County
J. Stephen Conn/Flickr Rate of poor or fair health: 23% Adult obesity rate: 31% Food environment index: 4.7 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 25% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 5,854 years Rate of uninsured population: 27%
- Pinal County
bob/Flickr Rate of poor or fair health: 17% Adult obesity rate: 30% Food environment index: 7.3 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 24% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 6,430 years Rate of uninsured population: 20%
- Pima County
Bruce Matsunaga/Flickr Rate of poor or fair health: 14% Adult obesity rate: 22% Food environment index: 6.9 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 19% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 7,142 years Rate of uninsured population: 19%
- Coconino County
John Weiss/Flickr Rate of poor or fair health: 13% Adult obesity rate: 24% Food environment index: 5.7 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 16% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 7,744 years Rate of uninsured population: 25%
- Greenlee County
Johnida Dockens/Flickr Rate of poor or fair health: 18% Adult obesity rate: 35% Food environment index: 5.0 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 25% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 7,893 years Rate of uninsured population: 15%
- Yavapai County
Russell Brennan/Flickr Rate of poor or fair health: 18% Adult obesity rate: 26% Food environment index: 6.3 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 20% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 7,737 years Rate of uninsured population: 22%
Next week, we’ll be looking at the unhealthiest counties in the state using similar data. In the meantime, what do you think of these rankings? Did any of them surprise you? Tell us your reactions in the comments below!
wplynn/Flickr
Rate of poor or fair health: 15% Adult obesity rate: 23% Food environment index: 7.3 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 20% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 6,053 years Rate of uninsured population: 20%
Kevin Dooley/Flickr
J. Stephen Conn/Flickr
Rate of poor or fair health: 23% Adult obesity rate: 31% Food environment index: 4.7 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 25% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 5,854 years Rate of uninsured population: 27%
bob/Flickr
Rate of poor or fair health: 17% Adult obesity rate: 30% Food environment index: 7.3 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 24% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 6,430 years Rate of uninsured population: 20%
Bruce Matsunaga/Flickr
Rate of poor or fair health: 14% Adult obesity rate: 22% Food environment index: 6.9 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 19% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 7,142 years Rate of uninsured population: 19%
John Weiss/Flickr
Rate of poor or fair health: 13% Adult obesity rate: 24% Food environment index: 5.7 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 16% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 7,744 years Rate of uninsured population: 25%
Johnida Dockens/Flickr
Rate of poor or fair health: 18% Adult obesity rate: 35% Food environment index: 5.0 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 25% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 7,893 years Rate of uninsured population: 15%
Russell Brennan/Flickr
Rate of poor or fair health: 18% Adult obesity rate: 26% Food environment index: 6.3 out of 10 Physical inactivity rate: 20% Total years of death occurring before age 75: 7,737 years Rate of uninsured population: 22%
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