Unfortunately, Harford County ranks in the middle of the pack, 10th out of 24 jurisdictions in the state of Maryland, in terms of overall health.
Fortunately, the relatively low ranking is not so much a function of geography as it is of personal choice: As a group, people are overweight and they smoke.
In other words, individual people living in Harford County can become better than the local average by taking on some healthy living habits like eating right and exercising, and shedding the unhealthy habit of smoking.
The numbers in the annual statewide ranking of relative health trends aren't new for Harford County, which finished in 10th place last year as well, for essentially the same reasons.
The ranking report, by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, showed 30 percent of Harford adults were obese in 2011 and 18 percent were smokers between 2006 and 2012, slightly higher than the state averages of 28 percent and 15 percent, respectively.
On the other hand, Harford County had a better ranking, sixth in the state, when it comes to health factors such as access to medical care, social and economic factors and overall healthy behavior practices.
The numbers are of particular concern to Harford Health Officer Susan Kelly, whose job it is, at least in part, to try to improve the county's overall health. It's not an easy task. As Kelly noted, changing behaviors that lead to destructive choices, such as smoking, eating too much of the wrong things or not exercising enough, takes time.
Difficult as they may be to overcome, behavioral patterns can be changed. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to make those choices against smoking or unhealthy eating habits. Public health programs can only do so much.
Then again, some people enjoy their lives just the way they are, and, while it may not be healthy, it's their choice.