The Healthiest Counties in Rhode Island

The Healthiest Counties in Rhode Island

Rhode Island may be small, but its five counties vary in how healthy they are, according to the latest County Health Rankings released Wednesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.  

“Given Rhode Island’s small size, we tend not to see major differences from county to county,” said Michael Fine, M.D., director of the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH). “Still, this report gives us a glimpse at how Rhode Islanders are faring at the community level, a matter of particular interest as we think about designing a healthcare system that addresses the unique needs of individual communities throughout the state.”

The report looked at factors such as high school graduation rates, obesity, smoking, and family and social support. “Access to affordable healthy food and safe places to exercise has a measurable impact on the health of a community’s residents, as does access to affordable primary care,” Dr. Fine said.

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Several Rhode Island municipalities have been working to improve the health of their residents. In Kent County, municipalities are focused on boosting the use of city and town parks and work with local Chambers of Commerce to raise awareness of the importance of physical activity. Providence formed the Mayor’s Office of Healthy Communities and is working to increase play in the city’s parks and recreation facilities, reduce substance abuse, and stop tobacco smoking.

See how each county ranked in the latest report, plus see how your county compares to others on numerous health factors, from obesity to mammography screenings.