How healthy is your city? This dashboard tells you

Biz Women

A data tool that tracks lifestyle metrics to help local officials address health challenges has expanded to include the largest 500 U.S. cities.

The City Health Dashboard, developed by the Department of Population Health at New York University’s School of Medicine, rates cities according to 36 factors that influence overall health.

Metrics include the prevalence of physical disorders such as obesity and cardiovascular disease as well as social factors including the rate of primary care physician coverage, income inequality and high school graduation rates.

"We all have a role to play in improving well-being in our communities and ensuring that everyone has the same opportunities to be healthy, no matter where they live," said Abbey Cofsky, managing program director at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which helped fund the effort. "With city and neighborhood-specific data, community leaders, city officials, and advocates now have a clearer picture of the biggest local challenges they face and are better positioned to drive change."