Community Corner

Middlesex County Second Healthiest in Mass., Says Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Among Massachusetts' 14 counties, only Dukes County was healthier, according to the study.

If Middlesex County isn't the healthiest place to live in Massachusetts, it's right up there, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

In a recent study done by the foundation called "County Health Rankings and Roadmaps," Middlesex ended up second in the state, trailing only Dukes County overall.

Even there, Middlesex County exceeded Dukes in some areas such as patient-to-doctor and patient-to-dentist ratios.

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In measures ranging from adult obesity and insurance coverage to premature death and teen birth rates, Middlesex County was at or exceeding the state average.

It also met or exceeded the national benchmark standard in all categories except for poor physical and mental health days, sexually transmitted diseases, and some various environmental factors.

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Middlesex County also fared well in comparison to its northern neighbor, Hillsborough County in New Hampshire.

Although Hillsborough County had superior results in areas such as preventable hospital stays and drinking water safety, the two were fairly comparable in most areas, with Middlesex leading in categories such as adult obesity and smoking.

More information on Middlesex and other counties in the report is available at www.countyhealthrankings.org.


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