By Serena Maria Daniels|Published September 26, 2015
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Serena Maria Daniels
Author
Serena Maria Daniels is an award-winning freelance journalist in Detroit, by way of Chicago, by way of the West Coast. She writes about Michigan for OIYS. Serena enjoys learning about language and culture and taking road trips with her beagle Ralph.
We’ve shown you where the healthiest people in Michigan live. But now it’s time for the flip side and reveal the unhealthiest places. The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute for its study, County Health Rankings and Roadmaps gathered a number of data points to reach its conclusions about the health of residents in counties all over the country, including Michigan. Using that information, we’re providing you with this hopefully useful tool.
10) Roscommon County
Neal E./Yelp
Pizza? Oh no we won't ruin pizza for anyone, by all means indulge away.
9) Calhoun County
Battle Creek CVB/Flickr
Nearly 1 in 5 residents here report being in poor or fair health. Not a good outlook.
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8) Presque Isle County
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
Some 15 percent of this county's population is uninsured, just one of many factors that make this an unhealthy county.
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7) Gladwin County
Chris Richardson/Flickr
Statewide, Michiganders have an 83% chance at exercise opportunities. In Gladwin County, that percentage is way below the average at 63%. Not being active is a major contributor to all kinds of health problems.
6) Kalkaska County
ryangs/Flickr
Close to 40% of the population here smokes, plus almost 1 in 3 residents are obese. Not the healthiest combination.
We hear the hash browns at Pudgy's Diner in Harrison are to die for... Just be careful not to eat too much of the starchy stuff, it's not particularly healthy.
On top of a 35%obesity rate, lower-than-average opportunities for physical exercise and high crime rate, this county's seat Flint is currently struggling to provide clean drinking water for its residents.
Unfortunately, there's nothing surprising about Wayne County being the most unhealthy county in the state. Obesity rates stand around 34%, childhood poverty hovers at just under 40% and more than 1 in 5 residents report food insecurity as an issue.
Wow, some of these details are quite revealing. Who knew so many of these factors could lead to poor health among an entire population. Tell us though, what’s missing in this data? Can you live a healthy life if you live in one of these counties?
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