{"id":1040,"date":"2016-01-26T15:30:27","date_gmt":"2016-01-26T20:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=1040"},"modified":"2020-10-12T14:56:42","modified_gmt":"2020-10-12T18:56:42","slug":"american-health-ranking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/american-health-ranking\/","title":{"rendered":"How healthy is your state?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year, the United Health Foundation ranks the nation\u2019s physical, mental, and social well-being by state. The <\/span>America\u2019s Health Rankings<\/span><\/a> report is an annual snapshot of advances (and challenges) that guides policy-makers, public health officials, and community leaders. Using comprehensive data from 19 sources, across 5 categories, and 55 measures of health, it\u2019s a reliable benchmark of which area is the healthiest\u2014and unhealthiest\u2014in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wondering where your state\u2019s health score stacks up?<\/span><\/p>\n

The healthiest states in the U.S.<\/span><\/h2>\n

While the results across the U.S. as a whole can provide an essential understanding of the overall health of the nation, huge insight can be gained by looking at the states individually.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The top 5 healthiest states are:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Vermont<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Massachusetts<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Hawaii<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Connecticut<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Utah<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Here\u2019s why.<\/span><\/p>\n

    #1 Vermont<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Vermont moved up three spots from 2018 to become the healthiest state in the U.S. in 2019. This improvement was largely driven by a significant increase (24.3% to 36.7%) in the percentage of adults with less than a high school education who reported high health status. In other words, Vermont made huge strides in decreasing the disparity of health status this year. The state also comes in well below the 8.8% national average for uninsured residents at 4.3%.<\/span><\/p>\n

    That said, there is always room for improvement. For example, Vermont\u2019s incidence of pertussis (whooping cough) is much higher than the national average, reaching 17.3 cases per 100,000 compared to just 5.8 cases per 100,000 annually.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    #2 Massachusetts<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Although drug deaths in Massachusetts have increased 87% over the past three years, the state has maintained its No. 2 ranking thanks largely to its low prevalence of obesity and increased public health funding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    #3 Hawaii<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Down from its 2018 No. 1 ranking, Hawaii still has impressive health figures. Consistently in the top five, the majority of its population is insured; plus, the state has a very low rate of obesity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    #4 Connecticut\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Although Connecticut has a comparatively low cardiovascular death rate and the number of smokers, drug deaths in the state have increased by 140% from 11.0 to 26.4 deaths per 100,000 population in the past five years.<\/span><\/p>\n

    #5 Utah<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Consistently ranking as the fifth healthiest state in America, Utah has the lowest smoking rate in the country at 9%, and one of the highest rankings for physical activity. There is however room for improvement by increasing the immunization coverage of children, where they currently rank 40th.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The unhealthiest states in the U.S.<\/span><\/h2>\n

    On the other end of the spectrum, it is important to understand which states need the most help and identify key areas that should be focused on to improve the health of their communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Here are the states with the biggest room for improvement:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Oklahoma<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Alabama<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Arkansas<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Louisiana<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
    5. Mississippi<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      #46 Oklahoma<\/span><\/h3>\n

      Although smoking in Oklahoma has decreased 25% since 2012, the state still has one of the highest rates of smoking in the country with 19.7% of adults participating in the habit. The state also has a high number of uninsured persons at 14.2%, compared to Vermont\u2019s 2.8%<\/span><\/p>\n

      #47 Alabama<\/span><\/h3>\n

      Moving up from the 48th spot in 2018, improvements in Alabama\u2019s percentage of high school graduates has seen its population become healthier. That said, there is room for improvement in reducing the prevalence of diabetes and poor cardiovascular health within Alabama communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      RELATED: <\/b>Diabetes medications and treatments<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

      #48 Arkansas<\/span><\/h3>\n

      As with many of the states with significant room for improvement, Arkansas has a high rate of obesity, and an increased prevalence of diabetes (up 24% from 2012).<\/span><\/p>\n

      #49 Louisiana<\/span><\/h3>\n

      In great news, the number of Louisiana residents without health insurance has decreased by 60% over the past seven years. That said, the largest areas for improvement are high rates of obesity and a high cardiovascular death rate. Another area of concern is the huge increase in drug deaths over the past five years, increasing 65% from 12.9 to 21.3 deaths per 100,000 population.<\/span><\/p>\n

      #50 Mississippi\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

      Mississippi comes in at the bottom of the state ranking for 2019, dropping one place from 2018. This is largely because of its high infant mortality rate, 8.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared with 5.8 deaths per 1,000 live births nationally, and above average prevalence of obesity (39.5% compared to the national 30.9% figure). Mississippi also shows room for improvement with its population\u2019s heart health, recording a high cardiovascular death rate at 363.2 deaths per 100,000, compared with 260.4 deaths per 100,000 nationally<\/span><\/p>\n

      On a positive note, Mississippi\u2019s strengths include being well below the national average for drug deaths, with a rate of 12.1 deaths per 100,000 compared to 19.2 deaths per 100,000. In the wake of a national opioid epidemic, this is no small feat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      No one-size-fits-all approach will improve the population health at the state level. It requires a multi-pronged approach. According to the report, \u201cFocusing on one measure alone likely does not improve health enough to change a state\u2019s rank.\u201d However, the information provided can be used to prioritize public health goals and spark much needed dialogue on how to improve state health.<\/span><\/p>\n

      What about the middle states?<\/span><\/h2>\n

      It\u2019s always easy to draw attention to the top and bottom performers in any study, but what about the states in the middle? What do they say about the health of America?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      States like Montana (#24), Alaska (#27), Kansas (#29), Arizona (#31), and Florida (#33) all help highlight a trend of low access to healthcare providers, be it dentists, mental health providers, or primary care physicians. As has been a trend over the years, access to healthcare the population needs is holding back the health of these states. This is further demonstrated by their high levels of uninsured residents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      How did America perform on the whole?<\/span><\/h2>\n

      There\u2019s much to celebrate in the 2019 report, with significant improvements in a number of areas over the past year. On a national level, here are some of the key positive takeaways:<\/span><\/p>\n