December 2006

Americans’ overall health improves slightly

Americans as a whole are only 0.3 percent healthier than they were at this time last year, according to the 17th annual edition of America’s Health Rankings: A Call to Action for People & Their Communities.

This increase is significantly lower than the nation’s average annual improvement of 1.5 percent documented between 1990 and 2000, and only keeps pace with the 0.3 percent average annual national improvement since 2000. The report also observes that the United States continues to trail other nations in important statistics such as healthy life expectancy and infant mortality.

This year, the report ranks Minnesota as the healthiest state in the nation for the fourth year in a row. Vermont comes in second, followed by New Hampshire, Hawaii, and Connecticut. Louisiana is ranked as the least-healthy state, while Mississippi (49), South Carolina (48), Tennessee (47), and Arkansas (46) complete the bottom five.

The report, which is produced by United Health Foundation in partnership with the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention, is a yearly assessment of the relative healthiness of the nation, based upon analysis of comprehensive determining factors such as personal behaviors, the environment in which people live and work, the decisions made by public and elected officials, and the quality of medical care delivered by health professionals.

To view the report, visit America’s Health Rankings Web site.

Source: America’s Health Rankings, www.americashealthrankings.org

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