Report: Premature deaths declining in many counties

Premature deaths declined in 60% of the nation’s counties between 2004-2006 and 2010-2012, according to county health rankings released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The rankings define premature deaths as those before age 75. Among large counties, the District of Columbia saw the largest decline (31%), falling from an annual 72,000 years of potential life lost to 48,000, according to the summary report. Based on national data sources, the annual rankings compile county-level measures related to health outcomes and behaviors, access to care, social and economic factors, and the physical environment. RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., said the rankings “have helped galvanize communities across the nation to improve health.”