Low Rates of Smoking and Obesity Keep Broward and Palm Beach Healthier Than Most of Florida

By Michael Cohen Wed., Mar. 30 2011 at 12:24 PM

Categories: Broward, Health, Palm Beach

Wrong idea, kid. Low rates of smoking and obesity kept Broward and Palm Beach healthier than most of Florida.

Florida falls below the national average in quite a few significant measurements that reflect its quality of life. And healthy residents is one of them. But if you live in Broward or Palm Beach, chances are you're a little healthier than most Floridians.

In the sickly Sunshine State, Broward and Palm Beach are among the healthiest counties, according to a new study released today. The study ranked the overall health of counties in all 50 states. Thanks to low rates of smoking and obesity, Broward and Palm Beach came in tenth and 11th out of Florida's 67 counties.

"A lot of it comes back to health behaviors, things that we do to ourselves, like high blood pressure," Dr. Claude Fox, director of the Florida Public Health Institute, told the Sun-Sentinel.

Overall, however, the state suffers from high rates of STDs, violent crime, and extreme lack of health insurance. Florida also has an alarmingly high rate of what the study labeled "premature deaths," people who die before age 75. Since most of the data used in the study measured only up to 2008, Fox expects the numbers to get worse and show how the recession has affected people's health.

Can't wait to see how we stack up next year.

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