Counties With the Highest Frequencies of Chronic Diseases

A chronic disease is a condition that can last for a year or more and calls for ongoing medical attention. Examples of chronic diseases and illnesses include obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, chronic kidney disease and heart disease.

This impressive visual from My Health Champion shows the counties across the United States where chronic diseases are the most prevalent. The visual gives a county-by-country breakdown with the disease prevalence percentages for each of the chronic diseases and illnesses that are included in the research.

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Based on Health Champion’s analysis of federal health data, it was determined that these were the ten counties with the highest rate of one or more chronic diseases:

1. Harlan County, KY: 66.2%
2. Humphreys County, MS: 65.0%
3. East Carroll Parish, LA: 64.8%
4. Tensas Parish, LA: 64.8%
5. Logan County, WV: 64.6%
6. Jefferson County, MS: 64.3%
7. Letcher County, KY: 64.2%
8. McCreary County, KY: 64.1%
9. McDowell County, WV: 63.7%
10. Shakey County, MS: 63.3%

Across America, the most common chronic condition is obesity, which affects 39% – 49% of the country’s population. Based on the data analyzed by Health Champion, it was found that the following counties had the highest prevalence of obesity. Of the counties with the highest prevalence of obesity, the top seven counties are in either Mississippi or Louisiana.

1. Jefferson County, MS: 49.9%
2. Humphreys County, MS: 49.2%
3. East Carroll Parish, LA: 49.2%
4. Holmes County, MS: 48.9%
5. Wilkinson County, MS: 48.6%
6. Issaquena County, MS: 47.4%
7. Tensas Parish, LA: 46.9%
8. Corson County, SD: 46.8%
9. Lawrence County, KY: 46.3%
10. Harlan County, KY: 46.2%

Did the county you reside in land anywhere on these rankings?