COLUMBUS – Delaware County is the healthiest county in Ohio for the fourth year in a row, one of three central Ohio counties among the state’s top 11 in health factors.
The 2018 County Health Rankings issued by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin places Delaware County as first in Ohio for both health outcomes and health factors.
How central Ohio counties fared
1. Delaware
6. Union
11. Fairfield
30. Madison
32. Licking
44. Pickaway
49. Franklin
Source: 2018 County Health Rankings
“Our ranking reflects the priority our county has placed on improving the factors that affect residents’ health. It also shows how important it is to sustain services and programs that are currently helping residents stay healthy,” said health Commissioner Shelia Hiddleson.
Health outcomes focus on how healthy people are presently and health factors are based on how healthy people will be in the future.
Union County also made the top 10 and No. 6 and Fairfield County was No. 11.
Franklin County did not fare as well, ranked No. 49, worst in central Ohio.
According to the rankings, Delaware County residents engage in the healthiest behavior, a ranking that includes factors like smoking, obesity, food environment, physical inactivity, access to exercises opportunities, excessive drinking, alcohol-impaired driving deaths, sexually transmitted infections and teen births.
Franklin County scored well in activity, access to exercise opportunities and the availability of health care but was worst in the state when it came to environmental factors, such as clean air and water and adequate housing.
The county also fared poorly when ranked for health outcomes (49th) and health factors (50th).