Final answer:
The State of Affairs (SoA) at a national scale encompasses current governance, policy, economic, and public health conditions across different counties within a country. It reflects how regional differences in public policies can impact socioeconomic and health-related issues, such as poverty and obesity rates.
Step-by-step explanation:
The State of Affairs (SoA) when looking at counties on a national scale involves examining the current political, economic, and social conditions across various regions of an entire country. At a national scale, this can include looking at governance, policy-making decisions, economic trends, public health statistics, and other socio-economic aspects that impact citizens at the county level. Resources such as the National Association of Counties, National Conference of State Legislatures, Governing Magazine, and the U.S. Census Bureau provide comprehensive data and analyses on these matters. For example, certain public policies may affect poverty levels and health statistics differently across various regions, as evidenced by higher poverty and obesity rates in the South compared to other areas of the United States.