Many of the neighborhoods where residents have the highest estimated diabetes prevalence have very few Medicaid providers. Some of these neighborhoods also have high rates of residents on public insurance.

Diabetes and stroke mirror each other so strongly that the same Census tract with the highest estimated prevalence of diabetes also has the highest estimated prevalence for stroke.

Typically, ocean breezes help keep air clean, which can lessen the impact of respiratory illnesses associated with pollution. Savannah's residents don't appear to be feeling that benefit, however, respiratory disease rates here are high relative to the rest of the country.

Within Savannah, neighborhoods with the highest estimated prevalence of diabetes track closely with the neighborhoods with the highest estimated rates of strokes. It may be that people in these areas have the same socioeconomic risk factors for each of these diseases, or some other facet of the neighborhood's environment is leading to increased prevalence of the diseases.

We found that low sleep closely resembles that of respiratory disease.

Free time is a critical dimension of health outcomes in general and diabetes in particular. Grocery shopping, meal prep and cooking, and exercise all take a time investment that can fall to the wayside when long commutes, caring for children or parents, and juggling multiple jobs necessarily take priority.

Many of the city's Census tracts have high rates of multiple job holders and single-parent households — two often-overlapping groups who experience little to no free time.

We found a similarity between the tracts that have higher rates of sleeplessness and higher African American populations. As noted in the diabetes section, many residents in these areas have multiple jobs and are single parents, creating additional strain on time for sleep.

We found that neighborhoods experiencing the worst outcomes also have the least number of community resources to engage residents in healthier lifestyles and regular medical care.

The 500 Cities data estimates that nearly 13 percent of Savannah’s residents are diabetic.

Census tract 33.01 has the largest estimate for diabetes prevalence among all of Savannah's Census tracts. With an estimated 23.7 percent of residents diagnosed with diabetes, this puts it in the top 1 percent of Census tracts for diabetes prevalence among the country's largest 500 cities. Nearby, two census tracts are estimated to have fewer than 6 percent of residents with the disease. This puts them near the 9th percentile for the disease.

The great disparity for residents just a few miles away from each other is an illustration of health inequity.

While it is possible to die from diabetes alone, the cascade of health complications that arise from high blood glucose are more frequent causes of death among diabetics. Heart disease, stroke and kidney failure take the lives of diabetics more frequently than the population at large.

Within Savannah, neighborhoods with the highest estimated prevalence of diabetes track closely with the neighborhoods with the highest estimated rates of strokes.

Reducing the risk for developing diabetes isn't just a matter of willpower. Characteristics of our neighborhoods, such as crosswalks, traffic lights, sidewalks and streetlights, the presence of high-quality food retail, as well as amenities like parks and rec centers can also impact our ability to increase physical activity and get to the grocery store.

Overlaying these geographic features show that many census tract with high diabetes prevalence also lack sidewalks and are located in food deserts.

Diabetes often shows strong associations with a number of social and economic factors. Generally, African Americans at all income levels are at higher risk for developing the disease. Poverty and education also are associated with increased risk for developing diabetes.

However, we did not find that these variables perfectly align with diabetes prevalence estimates in Savannah.

Care access is especially crucial for diabetics because proper maintenance can prevent some of the worst complications, such as amputation and organ failure — both of which are potential outcomes for unchecked diabetes.

However, many of the neighborhoods where residents have the highest estimated diabetes prevalence have very few providers. Some of these neighborhoods also have high rates of residents on public insurance.

Most of Savannah's neighborhoods are in the 75th percentile or higher for stroke prevalence compared to the rest of the country's other largest 500 Cities.

Census tract 33.01 is in the 98th percentile of all 500 Cities tracts. By comparison, a neighborhood just a few miles away has prevalence estimate of just 1.5 percent.

Diabetes is just one of many risks for developing stroke. According to the CDC, high blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke, and heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol also are strongly associated conditions.

We found that none of them, however, track as closely with the health outcome as diabetes does.

Age and race are two socioeconomic variables often associated with experiencing a stroke. We found that there is some resemblance among those variables and 500 Cities' stroke prevalence estimates.

The use of public health insurance is not associated with stroke prevalence, however, we found that many tracts with high rates of stroke also have high rates of residents using public health insurance.

Healthy eating and active living are key to preventing stroke, as is treating the medical conditions associated with stroke.

We found that neighborhoods experiencing the worst outcomes also have the least number of community resources to engage residents in healthier lifestyles and regular medical care.

An estimated 11 percent of Savannah's residents are experiencing COPD.

Census tract 12.00 is near the 95th percentile of prevalence of the country's largest 500 cities. Meanwhile, the tract right next door is actually below the area average, with just an estimated 5.2 percent of residents experiencing the disease.

The vast majority of COPD cases are caused by smoking. We found that there is a strong resemblance between the CDC's estimates of the two in Savannah.

Asthma is another lung disease, and though it is not associated with COPD, symptoms can be similar. Cigarettes and secondhand smoke can trigger asthma symptoms. We found that asthma does not have as strong a relationship with smoking prevalence as COPD does.

After smoking, the leading causes of COPD tend to be air pollution and regular, long-term exposure to fumes and chemicals. We found that many of the census tracts most at risk for COPD are near emission sources such as railroads and parcels of land zoned for industrial of manufacturing uses.

About 15 percent of COPD cases are work-related, and many residents in higher-risk areas have greater rates of residents working in the transportation, warehousing and utilities, manufacturing, and construction sectors relative to other tracts in the city. These industries commonly are associated with elevated COPD risk.

Because COPD's association with smoking is so strong, many of the socioeconomic indicators that show similar patterns reflect groups who also experience higher risk for smoking.

Typically, African Americans are less likely to smoke, yet we found that there is a similarity among neighborhoods that have high rates of African American residents and COPD prevalence.

Many of Savannah's neighborhoods have some of the country's highest levels of residents who regularly sleep less than 7 hours a night.

More than 80 percent of the city's Census tracts fall into the 70th percentile or higher in this indicator category.Most of Savannah's neighborhoods are in the 75th percentile or higher for stroke prevalence compared to the rest of the country's other largest 500 Cities.

Census tract 12.00 has the greatest estimated rate of residents sleeping less than seven hours a night. At 56 percent, this puts the tract near the 100th percentile of prevalence among the country's largest 500 cities.

Census tract 9.00 has a rate of 32 percent of residents sleeping less than seven hours a night is low for Savannah, it's still not great: This is in the 22nd percentile of Census tracts in the 500 Cities data set.

Getting less than seven hours of sleep a night on a regular basis is associated with a host of adverse health consequences, including depression and metabolic dysfunction. We found that a lack of sleep associates with many of these common negative outcomes.

Alcohol use tends to disrupt normal sleep cycles, but in Savannah, neighborhoods with high rates of binge drinking are not the same as those with high rates of poor sleep.

Exercise is another critical component of healthy sleep, and tracts where residents have the least physical activity tend to track with those that have high rates of poor sleep.

Noise and light pollution can significantly harm sleep quality. We found that many areas at high risk for less than seven hours of sleep are near land zoned for industrial uses, though the landscape of sleeplessness is not restricted to these areas.

Economic stability is a major variable when it comes to sleep. Those with lower incomes and lower levels of education are more likely to have multiple jobs and long commutes, and those priorities can put adequate sleep on the back burner.

We found that there is similarity between the tracts that have higher rates of sleeplessness and higher African American populations.

As noted in the diabetes section, many residents in these areas have multiple jobs and are single parents, creating additional strain on time for sleep.