When it comes to the health of their residents, Forsyth, Gwinnett and Lumpkin counties lead the pack in northeast Georgia, according to a new study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Forsyth is tops in the state with Gwinnett placing second. Lumpkin is the only other area county in the top 10.
But, four other counties help round out the top 25: Gilmer (11), Hall (17), Habersham (18) and Dawson (25).
Overall, the 2015 County Health Rankings show that premature deaths nationwide are decreasing, with 60 percent of the nation’s counties seeing declines. For instance, in the District of Columbia premature death rates have plummeted by nearly one-third based on data from 2004-2006 and 2010-2012. This marks the highest drop in the country for counties with populations of 65,000 or more. But for many counties these rates are not improving—forty percent of counties are not making progress in reducing premature deaths.
A collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the Rankings allow each state to see how its counties compare on 30 factors that impact health, including education, transportation, housing, violent crime, jobs, diet and exercise.
For a list of how all 159 Georgia counties fared and much more on the study, the health areas it covers and the how it was conduct, go to http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/georgia/2015/rankings/hall/county/outcomes/overall/snapshot .
