We've got it good here in Newton County, but when it comes to healthy living, we dwell in the bottom tier of Georgia counties, largely because of some self-inflicted behavior.

According to a survey released this week by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Newton County was in the bottom half of Georgia's counties when it comes to factors effecting health. The area that we fared worst in was in health behaviors, including smoking, obesity, car wrecks, sexually transmitted diseases and teen birth rates. You can read more in Wednesday's newspaper or online at Covnews.com.

In that category, Newton ranked 143 out of 156 counties. That's awful.

One purpose of the nationwide survey was to get a dialogue going on a local level about health care and what can be done to make a community healthier.

So, let's begin.

What will it take to help us make healthier decisions? What can we as a community do to encourage each of us to make better choices as individuals? Should it be up to the community, or are such actions making us a Nanny Nation?

We don't have the answer, but we want to know your thoughts.

What will it take to make Newton County healthier?

Send email to tgiddens@covnews.com, a letter or editorial to The Covington News, 1166 Usher St. N.W., Covington GA 30014.