For the sixth consecutive year, Montgomery has been called the healthiest county in Maryland in a report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which conducts rankings with University of Wisconsin researchers.
The ratings are based on variety of factors, such as premature deaths, smoking rates, obesity, the number of people without health insurance and college graduation rates.
In this year’s survey, Howard County finished second and Baltimore City was last.
“When our homes are near high performing schools and good jobs, it’s easier to get a quality education and earn a living wage,” the report said. “When people live near grocery stores where fresh food is available or close to green spaces and parks, eating healthy and being active is easier.”
This year’s rankings again show “stark differences” among low income communities and people of color when it comes to being able to afford a home, the report said.
“A lack of opportunity for a safe, secure, and affordable home is tied to poor health,” a news release stated.
“In Maryland, 15 percent of households spend more than half of their income on housing costs but when we look by race—even deeper differences emerge with households headed by Hispanic residents most burdened by severe housing costs at 20 percent compared to white resident households at 12 percent. County by county, severe housing cost burden ranges from 10 percent to 24 percent of households,” it stated.
“While we have disparities in some health outcomes, we will continue working so that the entire community benefits,” County Executive Marc Elrich wrote in a statement. He said the ranking was achieved through “the hard work and collaboration between government and community partners.”
Despite the overall positive trend, last year’s report found some poor indicators such as a 21 percent adult obesity rate, 9 percent of children living in poverty and 292.6 cases of sexually transmitted infections per 100,000 people.
But it also found there were more primary care physicians per capita in Montgomery compared to the state and national.
Dan Schere can be reached at Daniel.schere@moco360.media
