(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - A new report ranks Juneau, Sitka and Kodiak Island as the healthiest communities in Alaska, while western Alaska continues to have the poorest health outcomes, according to the fifth annual County Health Rankings, released this week by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI). The Rankings provide county-to-county comparisons within a state.

The Ketchikan Borough ranks 14th for overall health outcomes, which includes length of life and quality of life. And the Ketchikan Borough is 11th in overall rankings in health factors, which includes health behaviors, clinical care, social & economic factors, and physical environment.

Wrangell - Petersburg ranks 16th in overall health outcomes and 5th in overall health factors.

Prince of Wales - Outer Ketchikan ranks 17th in overall health outcomes and 18th in overall health factors.

According to the 2014 Rankings, the healthiest area in Alaska is Juneau, followed by Sitka, Kodiak Island Borough, Fairbanks North Star Borough and Southeast Fairbanks census area. The areas with the poorest health outcomes are the Bethel, Yukon-Koyukuk, Nome and Wade Hampton census areas, and the Northwest Arctic Borough.

The County Health Rankings rank the overall health of counties in all 50 states. Alaska’s data are broken out by fourteen boroughs, 10 census areas and the Municipality of Anchorage. An additional four boroughs — Aleutians East, Bristol Bay, Denali, and Yakutat — are not included in the rankings due to their low population counts. The Rankings allow counties to see how well they are doing on 29 factors that influence health, including smoking, high school graduation rates, employment, physical inactivity and access to healthy foods.

“The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s vision for a culture of health is one where everyone has the opportunity to be healthy,” said Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, RWJF president and CEO. “The County Health Rankings are a starting point for change, helping communities come together, identify priorities, and create solutions that will help all in our diverse society live healthier lives, now and for generations to come.”

On The Web:

All Alaska Boroughs
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/

Alaska Boroughs Overview
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/#!/alaska/2014/overview

Source of News: 

Alaska Department of Health and Social Services

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