7th year of Bx. bad luck

FOR THE SEVENTH straight year, the Bronx came in 62nd — dead last — among New York counties when it comes to quality of life.

A study, released Thursday, included a number of categories such as poor physical and mental health and low birth weight, as well as health factors such as smoking, obesity and physical inactivity in determining the rankings.

Although Bronx residents are living longer than they were 15 years ago, they aren’t living as well as people in other places.

The rate of childhood poverty in the borough is 43%, which is nearly double the statewide number.

The high school graduation rate is 56% compared to 77% statewide; unemployment is 9.8%, compared to 6.3% statewide — all factors that led to it’s bottom ranking.

But in the Bronx, they point to improvements.

“We have hosted a series of health screenings and events to not only engage the community but to promote wellness,” Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said in a statement.

The Bronx was nowhere near the bottom of the nation because its premature death rate — the statistic used when people die before they turn 75 — was 6,900 per 100,000 and the national average is 7,700.

Premature death rankings account for 50% of the health rating, according to a spokeswoman for the The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health In- stitute, which compiled the report.

The rankings are done to help health agencies better serve communities and do not rank counties nationally.

“It’s going to take a long time to come back,” said John DeSio, Diaz’s spokesman.

To help combat the problem, Diaz announced an initiative last year called #Not62 — The Campaign for a Healthy Bronx. Under the campaign, some 70 organizations, including hospitals and neighborhood centers, are working together to help promote healthier eating.