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PRNewswire 25-Sep-2018 6:00 AM
PR Newswire
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2018
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- There are clear links between race, ethnicity, geography and drivers of health outcomes in the U.S., a special report from U.S. News & World Report finds.
In one of the largest assessments of social determinants of health to date, U.S. News found that communities with a greater share of white residents generally score better, differing from the negative link between communities' scores and their share of black residents. Larger Hispanic and Native American populations also are linked to worse Healthiest Communities outcomes.
Released today, this report analyzed social determinants of health across nearly 3,000 U.S. counties that were part of the initial Healthiest Communities rankings. The report identifies factors that influence overall well-being such as economy, housing and access to health care, and highlights diverse areas outperforming the norm.
Key Findings include:
"In-depth analysis and data-driven journalism powers the Healthiest Communities platform, allowing us to examine the relationship between public health initiatives and community health as a whole," said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News. "Our reporting highlights communities that are making important strides to advance health for economically and socially diverse populations, while also empowering community leaders to seek positive change in counties facing disparities."
"Your ZIP code can influence your health more than your genetic code. However, even within the varying health outcomes that we see across different geographies, we also see inequality across racial and ethnic groups," said Dr. Garth Graham, president of the Aetna Foundation and vice president of Community Health for Aetna, Inc. "In order to improve health equity in our country, we need to truly understand where these problems exist so that we can help support local solutions that address these unique needs. The new report from U.S. News not only uses data and research to help identify issues in different locations, but also features communities that are striving to improve health for diverse populations."
These findings are accompanied by an editorial package that examines how communities in New Mexico, Kentucky and Georgia are working to overcome barriers to health:
The Race and Community Health in America package is part of the growing Healthiest Communities platform, featuring in-depth reporting and analysis on public health issues in nearly 3,000 communities. Developed in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation, the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna, Healthiest Communities includes comprehensive data covering the full spectrum of factors that influence population health. The project is part of U.S. News' expanding civic journalism initiative, which measures government progress locally and globally. Civic includes the Best States and Best Countries portals.
The analysis relies on U.S. Census five-year population estimates of race and ethnicity paired with the U.S. News Healthiest Communities dataset. The rankings encompass 80 metrics drawn from sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on Healthiest Communities, explore Facebook and Twitter using #HealthiestCommunities.
About U.S. News & World Report
Celebrating its 85th year, U.S. News & World Report is a digital news and information company that empowers people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. Focusing on Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars and Civic, USNews.com provides consumer advice, rankings and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
About The Aetna Foundation
The Aetna Foundation is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna (NYSE: AET). As a national health foundation, we promote wellness, health, and access to high-quality health care for everyone. This work is enhanced by the time and commitment of Aetna employees, who volunteered 520,000 hours in 2017 alone. For more information, visit www.aetnafoundation.org.
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SOURCE U.S. News & World Report