Register editor
Allen County is moving the needle in the right direction in terms of health, according to the recently released County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.
For 2017, we ranked 84th and 89th respectively in terms of health outcomes and lifespan, among the states 103 counties. Thats up 8 and 7 spots, respectively, compared to last year.
Of course, it doesnt matter how long you live if your quality of life is poor. In that category Allen County came in at 62, compared to 67 from last year.
In the seven years the survey has been conducted, our quality of life measure has steadily improved. A finding of the expansive study is that where you live, affects your health.
The county rankings, available at www.countyhealthrankings.org, are nationwide so you can not only see how well Allen County compares to Neosho County, but also to other regions.
Because my family lives on both coasts, I like to see how we compare to Addison County, Vermont and Alameda, California.
As much as I like to tell my cousin in Berkeley that theres no way I could tolerate her 90-minute commute to work or my brothers interminable winters in Middlebury, Vt., I must admit they both live where people overall enjoy healthier lifestyles.
In Berkeley, the overall quality of life ranks 20 out of 57 counties. In my brother Angelos area, the quality of life ranks a 5, out of 14 counties. In both health outcomes and longevity, his county came in first.
Glaring differences include Allen Countys higher rates of smoking and obesity and teenagers having babies.
On average, we exercise half as much as either region. We have more than double the rate of teenagers having babies as compared to California; three times that of Vermont.
And we have twice as many children living in poverty compared to Vermont and California.
Poverty alone is Allen Countys biggest hurdle in becoming a healthier place to live.
If you lack the means to provide your children with a healthy diet, good healthcare and an environment steeped in learning, then their start in life is behind the curve.
THIS IS what I notice when I visit either Vermont or California: People are outside.
In Vermont, theyre dressed in colorful wool and flannel fabrics.
In California, they breeze by on bikes and skateboards.
