You’re more likely to live past the age of 75 in Washington than you are in Idaho. That’s according to a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin. The report analyzes states – and the counties within them – on a range of measures.
Researchers' goal is to create a “Culture of Health,” and encourage state and county leaders to learn about tools to focus on preventative healthcare over short-term solutions.
Factors like “access to exercise opportunities” are taken into account when looking at health behaviors, and some regions did better than others. For example, Idaho, Washington and Oregon each have more access to exercise options than most states in the Southeast, but not as much as states in the Northeast.
One section of the study looks at housing shortages – drawing the connection between affordable and adequate living situations and overall health. On that measure, Idaho is superior to its neighbors.
The studies also looked at access to health care within individual counties. Not surprisingly, urban counties in the Northwest had more primary care physicians than in lower populated rural counties.
Find Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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