Morris County:

Life expectancy for residents of Morris County is significantly higher than the national average (83.7 years for Females, 80 years for Males).  Data on life expectancy is only available at the zipcode level or higher, meaning that we do not have information on life expectancy for specific neighborhoods.  While the county is highly educated, with 93% of adults having a high school degree or higher and 50% having a bachelor’s degree or higher, educational attainment is lower for Native American and Hispanic residents.  While poverty rates for the county are low overall, there are several ethnic and racial disparities noted in income (e.g. families living in poverty). 

One of the biggest challenges for Morris County residents is housing, which includes affordability, over-crowding, and lack of a kitchen or plumbing.  There is also the problem of linguistic isolation (not being able to communicate with others in the community), as almost 5% of families in Morris County have no one over the age of 14 who can speak English.  Although not worse than other U.S. counties, it is important to note that over 1 in 4 Morris County residents 65 and older live alone.  During the 2013 Community Health Needs Assessment, 1 in 5 adults reported being a caregiver. This is important, as we know that caregivers themselves often experience significant health disparities (look for new study results Summer 2015).   

Alarmingly, 1 in 5 adults (20%) did not participate in any physical activity during the past month (they were sedentary).  Although this is lower than the national average, and meets the HealthyPeople2020 goal, lack of physical activity is directly related to chronic disease and obesity.

Violent crime is low, and continues to decrease with time.  Data on civic participation shows that 70% of registered voters in Morris County turned out for the last presidential election (2012).  Of the NJ Counties, Morris is towards the top (Number 5) in civic engagement (a measure that combines community involvement, community engagement, and political participation).  Volunteerism data is not available at this point.

Union County:

Life expectancy for residents of Union County is significantly higher than the national average (82.4 years for Females, 77.8 years for Males).  Data on life expectancy is only available at the zipcode level or higher, meaning that we do not have information on life expectancy for specific neighborhoods. Union County has a below-average number of adults completing a high school education or higher (85.3%), however, 31.8% of residents do have bachelor’s degree or higher.  In both categories, educational attainment is lower for Native American, African American and Hispanic residents of Union County.  While poverty rates for the county are low overall, there are several ethnic and racial disparities noted in income (e.g. families living in poverty). 

One of the biggest challenges for Union County residents is housing, which includes affordability, over-crowding, and lack of a kitchen or plumbing.  There is also the problem of linguistic isolation (not being able to communicate with others in the community), as over 12% of families in Union County have no one over the age of 14 who can speak English.  Although not worse than other U.S. counties, it is important to note that over 1 in 4 (26.8%) of Union County residents 65 and older live alone.  Over 1 in 3 children in Union County are living in single parent households; a rate that has been stable for some time.  During the 2013 Community Health Needs Assessment, 1 in 5 adults reported being a caregiver. This is important, as we know that caregivers themselves often experience significant health disparities (look for new study results Summer 2015). 

Alarmingly, 1 in 4 adults (26%) did not participate in any physical activity during the past month (they were sedentary).  Although this is lower than the national average, and meets the HealthyPeople2020 goal, lack of physical activity is directly related to chronic disease and obesity.

Violent crime in the county is high. Data on civic participation, shows that 69% of voters in Union County voted in the last presidential election. Of the NJ Counties, Union is in the bottom half of counties (Ranking number 15) in civic engagement (a measure that combines community involvement, community engagement, and political participation).  Volunteerism data is not available at this point.  

Sussex County:

Life expectancy for residents of Sussex County is significantly higher than the national average (81.2 years for Females, 76.8 years for Males).  Data on life expectancy is only available at the zipcode level or higher, meaning that we do not have information on life expectancy for specific neighborhoods. While the county is highly educated, with 93.4% of adults having a high school degree  or higher and 32.4% having a bachelor’s degree or higher, educational attainment is lower for Native American and Hispanic residents. While poverty rates for the county are low overall, there are several significant ethnic and racial disparities noted in income (e.g. families living in poverty).

One of the biggest challenges for Sussex County residents is housing, which includes affordability, over-crowding, and lack of a kitchen or plumbing.  There is also the problem of linguistic isolation (not being able to communicate with others in the community), as Sussex County is below the state average in terms of the percentage of homes in which no one over the age of 14 who can speak English. Although not worse than other U.S. counties, it is important to note that over 1 in 5 (22.6%) of Sussex County residents 65 and older live alone.  During the 2013 Community Health Needs Assessment, 1 in 5 adults reported being a caregiver. This is important, as we know that caregivers themselves often experience significant health disparities (look for new study results summer 2016).   

Alarmingly, over 1 in 5 adults (23.5%) did not participate in any physical activity during the past month (they were sedentary).  Although this is lower than the national average, and meets the HealthyPeople2020 goal, lack of physical activity is directly related to chronic disease and obesity.

Violent crime is low, and continues to decrease with time. Data on civic participation shows that 68% of registered voters in Sussex County turned out for the last presidential election (2012).  Of the NJ Counties, Sussex County ranks #10 out of 21 New Jersey counties in civic engagement  (a measure that combines community involvement, community engagement, and political participation).  Volunteerism data is not available at this point.

We asked leaders across North Jersey to share with us their perspective on what is working and what is not in producing healthy communities. Don't see your perspective here yet? Add your voice by answering a few brief questions. 

What's Working?

• • “[Our] programs were given lots of equipment and newsletter for the parents. The program was developed to combat childhood obesity. I have seen that this program is working especially with the younger age group. Teaching children at a very young age about reading labels, keep moving is vital in the fight against obesity. Education is the key!”
  • “Many recreational activities for all age groups, not just all sports.”
  • “Having a park or trail within walking distance of people's homes. Not everyone has this but many do in Morris County.”
  • “Our focus is sustainable changes that will support Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity to reduce obesity and chronic disease. To this end our highlights in include: Community Gardens, Nutrition Education, Work Site Wellness, Walkability Audit, Community Forum on Health Equity, Development of Sustainable Models…All have impacted several hundred people as well as helped our collation grow to 20 organizations with 40 participants on 4 Work Groups - Access to Healthy Nutrition, Ability for Physical Activity, School Wellness and Community Health.”
  • “Free nutrition counseling to 5-10 people/week on cv, weight loss, diabetes, food allergies.”
  • “[We have] been affective in making some small changes for individuals on nutrition education, community gardens, worksite wellness and school wellness. [We] currently have over 25 organizations working to improve healthy living for Elizabeth for healthy nutrition, increased physical activity, school wellness and community health. Each work group will be attempting to find solutions which can lead to policy and environmental changes which we can funnel up to an advisory committee of leaders who can influence change.” 
  • “[We] do free cholesterol screens and diabetes screens. Also individual classes such as nutritional counseling given by dietitians (community classes and lectures).”
  • “Within our organization, we are successfully creating a space for seniors to remain active -- physically and socially. The continued health and mobility of many of these members is fostered by their participation. In addition to helping seniors stay fit, we are addressing the growing concern of childhood obesity by offering all 7th graders a free one year membership and teaching them the basics of fitness and a healthy lifestyle through small group training.
  • “Neighborhood connections; Great Horizon classes (community schools); bike signals/lane; walking groups (meetup.com); Patriot's Path; community gardens.”
  • “Increased outdoor space; partnerships with gyms, farms, etc. to improve obesity rates.”
  • “Increased development of coalitions to increase awareness of health-related issues, e.g., screenings, increased activity, resources (e.g., caregivers coalition).”
  • “Terrific recreational facilities and programs for all groups.”
  • “Local parks and trailways; Morristown adding bike lane; town sports; start of gardens.”
  • “Neighborhood walking trails ( Patriots Path); biking trails; park and recreation areas; Morristown fun runs: playgrounds for kids.”

  • “Access to recreation, sports, and activities for all, with scholarship assistance for those in need. No child is turned away. Lots of free entertainment for families.”

  • “Working for the health of our community means that you are taking a holistic approach to improving the lives of our community members by providing them with myriad opportunities to improve their health. More specifically, we at the Madison Area YMCA have implemented many different physical and emotional health programs that are available to the community, such as our Diabetes Prevention Program, LiveStrong program, Community Mental Health Initiative, our health screenings, and Parkinson’s Exercise Classes. These programs are all provided in addition to our fitness center, swimming pool, gymnastics center, basketball gymnasium, and outdoor fields; all of which subsequently directly improve the health of our community. We are lucky enough to partner with other local organizations to that are also advocates for enriching our community’s health, such as: Whole Foods, Shop Rite, Pfizer, and others. With these partnerships, we as an organization are enabled to meet the diverse needs of our community as a whole, both within and outside the Madison Area YMCA.”

  • “We have an active community. There are always people walking, running and riding bikes. Kids see this and learn that being active is a part of a healthy life.”

What Needs to Change

• • “Public Awareness of access to health care and healthy activities.”
  • “There are not many affordable opportunities for exercise or movement activities for families. The need for recreation departments to really start more activities like soccer leagues for both children and adults.”
  • “[We need to support] tobacco cessation.”
  • “[Eradicate] food deserts.”
  • “Access to healthy foods and knowledge on what that looks like. People need to be able to buy affordable healthy foods close to home but also have the knowledge to make the healthy choice.
  • Working with the entire family is important, especially to impact obesity. Getting to the right people and ensuring that all people are able to participate. Health equity is extremely important. Meeting people where they are at and providing what they need to be healthy. We have seen community gardens bring communities together and provide needed fresh vegetables.  Whether they are sustainable for long term change we are not sure. If we could find sources or fresh fruits and vegetables at low cost in convenient locations consistently this may be helpful.”
  • “I think there should be more opportunity for healthy living changes. Example instead of sitting thru a free lecture that says yoga and meditation is good for you- there should be more free meditation and yoga classes offered.  For people who can't afford gyms- more walking groups and exercise in the park programs, etc....  These things can be expensive and people may not be able to afford to go.  Therefore educating that it is good for them is futile.”
  • “Less smoking, less obesity, more medication compliance.”
  • “We missed an opportunity for bike lanes, walking paths on our streets.”
  • “Way too much dependence on medications to treat everything. More prevention and education on diet, exercise, health lifestyle. The mind and body are disconnected in our healthcare system.  We need to reconnect them with an integrated/holistic approach.”
  • “Having a park or trail within walking distance of people's homes. Have a farm market or distribution center for local fresh foods within a 10 min drive of people's homes.”
  • “Healthy Eating. Increase in Exercise.”
  • “There are many health issues plaguing our communities including obesity, diabetes and certain cancers that are preventable, treatable and sometimes even reversed with proper diet and nutrition. The community at large would benefit from nutrition education, specifically on the benefits of adopting a high or exclusive plant-based diet. Not only are plant strong diets deemed as adequate and sustainable during all stages of life by the American Dietetic Association, but has also shown to be the health-promoting diet in various comprehensive and extensively conducted research studies. Let's get our communities to learn about the importance of choosing "forks over knives" and consume foods that will actually create sustainable health benefits.”
  • “We would like to see a focus on childhood obesity, school wellness, and overall community health which would impact sustainable change for healthy eating and physical equity in low income vulnerable communities.”
  • “Identify venues and opportunities to educate residents about healthy lifestyle choices. Lower childhood obesity rates.”
  • “I would like to see additional opportunities for programs outside of our building. Partnering with other organizations in our community who are focused on healthy living would provide additional space and a broader audience to the message of healthy living.”
  • “More community gardens.”
  • “We should focus on nutrition, exercise, [and] stress reduction.”
  • “We need to address diet (more attention to what we eat) and exercise (more of it at all ages).”
  • “We need more community gardens.”
  • “Reaching Seniors who are living at home in need of companionship/socialization.”
  • “More programs offered at recreation centers.”
  • “We need more family events at parks....turkey trots, holiday run/walks; neighborhood gardening areas.”
  • “More tobacco education, support groups, free medicine to help individuals quit. Lobby the State of NJ to have $$ put in the budget. NJ is the only state in the Union to have no money in it's budget and collects close to a billion in taxes dollars in settlement taxes and $2.70 on every pack.”

  • “Healthier communities through healthy eating and exercise to reduce obesity.”

  • “[We need] fresh fruits and vegetables available throughout the county; safer neighborhoods; breakfasts in schools.”

  • “We need some fitness type program, non-competitive, for youth in our town. Not sports, just fitness.”