Ouch. Two areas in Ohio are listed with the bottom scores in Gallup’s 2010 Well-Being Index:
According to Gallup, the Well-Being Index is:
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index provides an in-depth, real-time view of Americans’ well-being, giving governments, communities, employers, and health plans unmatched insight into the health of their populations. The Well-Being Index is an average of six sub-indexes: Life Evaluation, Physical Health, Emotional Health, Healthy Behavior, Work Environment, and Basic Access.
Gallup and Healthways are interviewing no fewer than 1,000 U.S. adults nationwide each day, nearly 350 days a year. Respondents are asked a series of 56 questions related to their health and well-being.
I just got back from a trip to Southern Ohio and can say with confidence that the well-being is extremely low there. The population is aging, there is a lack of jobs, and infrastructure (houses, buildings, sewer systems) is aging as well, with no money to fix it. It is very sad in Appalachian Ohio.