New York

County Health Rankings 2017 Says Bronx Is the Least Healthy Community in NY With the Most Child Poverty

The study said 30 percent of adults in the Bronx were obese and that number was rising.

The Bronx is one of the fattest communities in New York with the highest rate of child poverty, according to the annual national County Health Rankings.

Of the 62 New York communities ranked, the Bronx came in last on the list that measures the health of different areas based on data from a range of different factors.

The factors include high school graduation rates, obesity, smoking, mental health, unemployment, access to healthy foods, the quality of air and water, income inequality and teen births in nearly every county in America.

The Bronx also had the highest rate of children living in poverty in the state, the report said.

The report found 43 percent of the children in the Bronx were living in poverty, versus nine percent in Saratoga, New York's healthiest community.

The County Healthy Ranking said the Bronx was also the worst place in New York to live for 'quality of life', with 28 percent of Bronx residents reporting having only poor to fair health. 

The report said there were a number of health behaviors contributing to the neighborhood's poor ranking.

It found that 17 percent of adults in the Bronx smoked and that 30 percent of adults in the Bronx were obese--a rising trend. 

New York was the 11th healthiest county in the state and Queens came in at number 14.

The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program ranks the health of nearly every county in the nation using data compiled through collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. 

The ranking has the view to help communities identify solutions to make it easier for people to be healthy in their neighborhoods, schools and workplaces, it says.

Top 5 Healthiest Communities in New York

1. Saratoga 

2. Rockland

3. Nassau 

4. Westchester 

5. Putnam 

Least Healthy Communities in New York

58. Niagara

59. Hamilton

60. Cattaraugus

61. Sullivan 

62. Bronx 

See the full list here.

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