Report: Violence, Housing Costs Affect Health Outcomes
A report out Tuesday published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute ranks the health of all 67 counties in Alabama.
Researchers used data from more than 30 sources to analyze health outcomes across Alabama. This year, Shelby County comes in first. Jefferson County ranks in the top third. The report compares differences within the state based on location as well as race and ethnicity.
Giridhar Mallya, a senior policy officer with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, says the county ranking is based on a wide range of factors, such as education, violence and poverty.
“And what we can see is that the vast majority of people’s health is actually affected by things outside the doctor’s office,” Mallya says. “One of the things we focused on this year is how housing costs can affect people’s health.”
For example, in Lowndes County, which ranks last on the list, almost 20% of households spend over half their income on housing. Mallya says this leaves less money to cover health care costs.
Overall, several counties in the state’s Black Belt region ranked lowest in this year’s report.
Acclaimed 20th century philosopher Jürgen Habermas dies at 96
Associated with the Frankfurt School, Habermas was a world-renowned thinker on modernity and democracy who helped shape German post-war and post-reunification political discourse.
Why the Chicago Bears could be moving to Indiana
While Illinois is trying to keep the team in Chicago's suburbs, Indiana lawmakers are offering a plan to finance a new stadium
Pentagon tightens controls over Stars and Stripes after calling it “woke”
The new rules for the independent military newspaper are the Defense Department's latest effort to put extraordinary restrictions on journalists covering the agency.
‘War of the Worlds’ remake sinks to the bottom at this year’s Razzie Awards
The surveillance industry version of HG Wells' 1898 classic sci-fi novel stars Ice Cube, and won accolades for worst picture, actor, director and more.
Russian strike on Kyiv region kills 4 and wounds 15, with peace talks stalled
The strikes comes after the United States paused ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine due to the war with Iran.
As the risk of measles grows, why are parents so divided on vaccines?
In South Carolina, some parents embrace vaccines, others opt out. Why do people make such different choices? A mix of politics, distrust and misinformation is pushing neighbors apart.
