Healthy places to be

Thought for the day:
Think of one person who you are tempted for any reason to withhold love from, and pray for their happiness. In that moment your pain will stop. Marrianne Williamson

Q: Where is the healthiest place to live in the US?........Curious

A: Generally we see the grass as greener somewhere else, but believe it or not, New England is one of the healthiest places to live in the US. According to a recent CBS survey, using criteria such as rates of smoking, physical activity, diabetes, graduation rate, violent crime rate, premature death risks and rate of infectious diseases the New England states garnered six out of the top ten spots.
Coming in at number one is Vermont, for the sixth year in a row primarily due to its high marks for a high graduation rate, a low violent crime rate, low smoking rates, high physical activity and low diabetes rates.

Coming in at at number two is Hawaii and New Hampshire is number three. With it’s third lowest crime rate in the country and the lowest percentage of children under 18 living in poverty. There were some areas that needed improving like public health funding and mental health funding, where it ranked fairly low.

Number four is Massachusetts, citing the lowest rate for adult obesity and the large number of doctors available for health conscious residents. Challenges for Massachusetts were binge drinking and the higher rate of preventable hospitalizations.

Connecticut earned its slot at number six due to the low smoking rates, the lack of obese citizens and high vaccine coverage. It dropped some from last year's rating due to the lower rate in high school graduations and the levels of air pollution in the city areas

Maine came in at number nine, climbing up from its number 10 slot last year, boasting the lowest crime rate in the country. It does, however, need to address concerns like lowering the smoking rate and obesity rates.

And believe it or not, Rhode Island came in as number 10 in large part to its diligence in cholesterol checking and high immunization rates. The highest rate of doctors of primary care per population also helped its rating. As in its neighboring state, Rhode Island does have challenges with binge drinking and preventable hospitalizations.

So you can be proud of the place you live in and work to make it even better.

Interesting Comments

There are herds of cows, flocks of chickens, schools of fish, gaggles of geese, prides of lions, murders of crows and ravens, an exaltation of doves, a parliament of owls and then there are baboons, the loudest most vicious and aggressive of all primates. They are called a congress of baboons—mmmm.

Have a question, or is there something you’ve always wondered about? Ask Madalyn invites your questions.
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