In Case You Missed It: Healthiest Counties in Massachusetts

Saturday, September 28, 2013

GoLocalWorcester News Team

"In Case You Missed It," GoLocal's Saturday feature, puts the week's top stories in one easy place for you to review and read. Check out what dominated the news cycle this week in Rhode Island and get all the details with these easy links.

What are the healthiest counties in Massachusetts?

Worcester County ranks 9 out of 14 Massachusetts’s counties in overall health according to 2013 rankings by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a national foundation focused on improving public health. The 2013 County Health Rankings ranking places Worcester County somewhere near the bottom of pack. Dukes and Middlesex counties are the healthiest, while Suffolk and Hampden counties are the least healthy.

The Foundation considered several factors in its overall ranking, including the number of premature deaths and babies born at low birth weight, and rates of obesity, smoking, and low activity levels. Other factors included access to recreational facilities and healthy foods, and the number of uninsured. According to the Foundation, these data points are key factors that, when improved, help to make communities healthier places to live and work.