Butte below the curve

Butte County recently released its annual County Health Rankings & Roadmaps report, part of a national effort to increase the health and quality of life of those living here. Based on statistics for the state of California, Butte ranked 36th out of 57 counties (Alpine was not ranked). That’s based on social and economic factors, health behaviors and quality of life, among other criteria. Below are the health behaviors, a category in which Butte ranked 48 out of 57 counties. The food environment index is based on a 0-10 scale, with 0 being worst, and takes into consideration food insecurity and access to healthy foods. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were based on the rate per 100,000 people and teen births were based on the rate per 1,000. The rest are based on percentages of the population.