Low obesity, smoking rates make Hamilton healthiest county in state

Low smoking rates and good eating habits combine to make Hamilton, Hendricks and Boone counties the healthiest counties in Indiana, according to an annual ranking.

They received the top billing for the second consecutive year.

Compiled by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin, the County Health Rankings look at overall health for the nation, county-by-county.

The rankings consider 29 measures, including tobacco and alcohol use, diet and exercise, education and access to care. The rankings provide a window into how healthy a county’s population is and how long residents will live.

Marion County came in 78th overall and 86th on health factors. Last year it ranked 79th out of 92 counties in the state.

For the first time, the rankings considered factors such as housing opportunities and access to mental health care.

State Health Commissioner William VanNess said he was not surprised to see that wealthier counties fared better than those with fewer resources.

“Health habits start first in the home and are supported through neighborhoods, community coalitions, business, education and government. So it’s not surprising to see that those counties with the infrastructure to support residents’ health have the most positive health outcomes,” VanNess said in a news release. “These rankings demonstrate that where you live matters.”

Also making the top 10 healthiest counties were LaGrange, Brown, Dubois, Wells, Monroe, Whitley and Tippecanoe.

Indiana’s least-healthy county was Scott County, in the southern part of the state.

For more information on the county health rankings, visit www.countyhealthrankings.org.

Call Star reporter Shari Rudavsky at (317) 444-6354. Follow her on Twitter: @srudavsky.