A new study finds that Essex County is one of the unhealthiest places in New Jersey.

While the study, from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, finds that Bergen and Morris counties are among the healthiest Essex County is near the bottom.  The report took into account obesity, smoking, poverty, and education among other things. Abbey Cofsky helped compile the report.

“We see in Essex County a lower high school graduation rate than the state average we see fewer folks attending some college and we see higher rates of children in poverty. Those are the type of factors the predicators of poor health of having fewer opportunities to be healthy.”

Cofsky says they encourage local leaders to use the data from their study when making decisions about how to make healthy changes in their communities.