When it comes to health, actions speak louder than care.

That’s the message Public Health Director Margene Gunderson passed along to the county board Tuesday as a way to promote Public Health Week.

Gunderson spoke to the board about the public health rankings released last week by the University of Wisconsin on www.countyhealthrankings.org.

Gunderson said her office is placing a larger emphasis on actions because studies show behavior and social factors have a bigger impact on overall wellness than clinical care.

“(They) really, really play a big role in health outcomes,” she said.

Along with improving overall health, such factors are key in improving the well being of those with chronic health conditions.

“Improvements in public life have gone a long way in reducing those chronic conditions,” she said.

The importance of such efforts isn’t going away. Gunderson said obesity and diabetes will be large concerns in the future. Efforts at healthy living won’t just be private choices, as Gunderson said public health and other groups need to help provide options for healthy decisions.

“As a society, we also need to put some things in place to help people make a good choice,” Gunderson said.

Mower County improved by one point to rank 42 out of 85 Minnesota counties surveyed in health outcomes like low birth weight and premature deaths, but dropped from 60 to 51 in health factors like smoking, obesity and excessive drinking.