7 Important Measures To Rate the Health Of Your Community

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The quality of the health of Americans is influenced by communities in which people live, learn, work, grow and play. Communities can support well-being and help residents make healthy choices easy and affordable. Healthy and safe community environments include those with clean air and water, affordable and secure housing, sustainable and economically vital neighborhoods.

When you ask people what makes a healthy community, the answer is almost always medical care, availability to hospitals & doctors and access to good health insurance.  People who reside in a healthy community feel safe, are well informed, have the power to make choices, have lasting friendships with one another, have strong families, and a sense of purpose and well being in their lives. 

Here are 7 Measures To Rate the Health Of Your Community.

1. My Community's First Visual Appearance: Every resident wants to live in a visually appealing neighborhood. When you drive home from dinner or the movies and pull into your community are you proud of its visual appeal or do you comment on things that may be an eyesore?  A visually appealing community at first glance helps keep property values high and attracts quality buyers into the community.
2. My Community's  Walkability  Can members of your community walk to any of their daily activities, such as work, school, church or the market? The walkability of a community plays a big role in the health of community members and the feel of participating in and engaging in activities with neighbors.
3. My Community's Leisure Activity Areas: Does your community have or does your association maintain common community areas for residents to enjoy such as: sidewalks, a park, bike lanes or bike or jogging trails? Those who live in communities that support walking, cycling and outdoor recreation are far more likely to be physically active, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a national nonprofit that works to improve the health of Americans. Residents who exercise and spend time outdoors engaging in activities with their families are happier neighbors.
4. My Community's Proximity To Supermarkets or Health Food Stores Versus A Convenience Store: Having a fresh-food or healthy supermarket nearby  helps residents think healthy and make healthier decisions. Healthy eating is associated with a lower rate of obesity, while living close to a convenience store, which usually doesn't sell fresh produce, has been linked to higher rates of obesity.
5. My Community's Environment: Is the area around your home and community relatively free of air pollution and water pollution? Is your community located in close proximity to area factories that could release toxic chemicals, lead hazards and other air pollutants, as well as contaminated drinking water.
6. My Community's Location Near A Major Medical Center: Is your community located near a hospital in case of an emergency? Consider how far you are from your family's primary health-care providers. Though you hope you never need it, how close you live to high-quality health care can have a considerable bearing on your quality of life. Residents who live near health providers are more likely to receive the care they need to stay healthy.
7. My Community's Friendliness: Friendly community members usually cultivate friendships with neighbors. Residents of close-knit neighborhoods are more likely to work together to keep their neighborhoods safe and look out for one another, creating a healthy social environment, than those who live in disconnected communities where neighbors are constantly bickering and fighting.