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New Study Ranks Health In Ohio Counties
By: Associated Press
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Geauga County in northeast Ohio and Scioto County in the southern part of the state are at opposite ends of new state health rankings.
The annual rankings from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released Wednesday say Geauga is Ohio's healthiest county based on factors such as longevity, infant mortality rates, access to health care and individual behaviors such as smoking.
Scioto was named the least healthy, followed by Lawrence and Adams, also in southern Ohio.
In West Virginia, Pleasants County jumped to first this year from seventh in last year's study, overtaking Monongalia County.
McDowell County ranked last for the fifth straight year. The 10 counties at the bottom of the list remain unchanged from last year and are in the southern part of the state.
Heavily weighted in the survey are social and economic factors because of their impact on health and access to care. Those components include education, unemployment and income.