Galveston about average for Texas in terms of health outcomes, study finds

The Galveston area fell near the middle in a recent ranking of health outcomes in Texas' counties.

The county rankings were compiled by the Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) project, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. In Texas, 223 of 254 counties were studied.

Two of the most common measures of overall health outcomes are mortality (number of deaths) and morbidity (how often people are sick). In these areas, Galveston County was about average, coming in 112th overall out of 223 counties. The ranking takes into account statistics such as the number of premature deaths and the average reported number of "poor health days."

The Galveston area did a little bit better when it came to health factors, or the variables that determine how likely people are to get sick or have other health problems. The county ranked 37th out of 223. The ranking includes factors such as health behaviors (smoking, drinking, etc.), access to health care, socio-economic factors and environmental factors such as pollution.

MATCH provides detailed information on all these factors and more, as well as tools and resources to help improve health care outcomes in your community. To learn more, visit www.countyhealthrankings.org.