Southern States Are Least Healthy

MSN.com ^ | 13 November 2002 | Lisa Habib

[SheLion]

Southern States Are Least Healthy

Annual Rankings Show U.S. Health 15% Better Than in 1990

By	Lisa Habib

Reviewed By  Brunilda Nazario, MD
WebMD Medical News

Nov. 11, 2002 -- It's apparently good for your health to live in New England, and not so good in the South. An annual ranking of states according to the health of their populations shows five of the top 10 states are in the Northeast and seven of the bottom 10 are in the South.

The UnitedHealth Foundation ranks New Hampshire as the healthiest state for the sixth time in the 13 years of the rankings. In the top 10, New Hampshire is followed by Minnesota, Massachusetts, Utah, Connecticut, Vermont, Iowa, Colorado, North Dakota, and Maine.

The least healthy state is Louisiana. The bottom ten are West Virginia, New Mexico, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

State Health Rankings 1. New Hampshire 2. Minnesota 3 Massachusetts 4. Utah 5. Connecticut 6. Vermont 7. Iowa (tie) 7. Colorado (tie) 9. North Dakota 10. Maine 11. Washington (tie) 11. Wisconsin (tie) 13. Rhode Island 14. Hawaii 15. Nebraska 16. South Dakota 17. Oregon 18. Virginia 19. New Jersey 20. Idaho 21. Kansas 22. Indiana 23. Pennsylvania 24. Montana (tie) 24. California (tie) 26. Wyoming 27. Ohio 28. Maryland 29. Michigan 30. Alaska 31. Illinois 32. New York (tie) 32. Missouri (tie) 34. Arizona 35. Delaware 36. North Carolina 37. Texas 38. Nevada 39. Kentucky 40. Georgia 41. West Virginia 42. New Mexico 43. Florida 44. Tennessee 45. Alabama 46. Oklahoma 47. Arkansas 48. South Carolina 49. Mississippi 50. Louisiana

The foundation based its rankings on factors including smoking, motor vehicle deaths, heart disease risk, high school graduation rates, children in poverty, prenatal care, access to health insurance, and public spending on healthcare.   It also took into account deaths from and incidence of certain diseases, deaths on the job, infant mortality, and premature death.   According to the foundation's report, the rankings reflect a state's average resident. But major disparities exist among people of different races in all states. For example, black adults have a far greater chance of dying before age 75 than Asians. And white, pregnant women are far more likely to get prenatal care than Native Americans.   Overall, the health of the United States declined by less than a percentage point from 2001 to 2002. The foundation attributed that to a decrease in public spending on healthcare and an increase in premature death (before age 75).   About 20 states had much improved health scores this year from the year before. The best increases were in Wyoming, Nevada, and South Dakota, which significantly reduced the number of their children living in poverty and improved other conditions.   Twenty-six states had worse health scores; the biggest decreases were in Maryland, Alaska, and Mississippi -- where smoking actually increased.   Since the UnitedHealth Foundation began ranking states in 1990, it says the health of the U.S. has improved 15.5% and all states individually have improved. The prime reasons are:   22% fewer smokers 40% fewer motor vehicle deaths 17% decrease in violent crime 11% increase in prenatal care 100% increase in public spending 32% reduction in infant mortality   The UnitedHealth Foundation is a private, nonprofit health information organization. It based its report on data from federal agencies.

[SheLion]

Talk about doublespeak - this is in reference to a half percent drop - yet a few paragraphs later they said Health has increased over 15% during past 10 years based in part by 100% increase in public spending.

They are cute, aren't they? Sad part about this is, most of the general public eats this up.

[SheLion]

Yup - public spending on healthcare, high school graduation rates, access to health insurance ... those are the things that make a person healthy, all right.... What a bunch of dum-asses.

BINGO

[cdefreese]

Yeah, but who is happier?

If I were given a choice:
1)Live up north and live to be 100.
or
2)Live where I am at (GA) and live to be 60.

I would choose to live to be 60. Quality over Length anyday.

[Diddle E. Squat]

But he's super, thanks for asking.

[SheLion]

I would choose to live to be 60. Quality over Length anyday.

That's how I believe as well. When the good Lord calls my number, it won't matter WHERE I live, WHAT I eat, or if I smoke! Life is terminal. Amen. :)

[justshutupandtakeit]

Son, I am very familiar with the Southern diet so ignorance is not an issue here except yours. Raised on blackeyed peas, fried everything, corn bread, butterbeans, greens, still drool for some of my mom's banana pudding. Damn it now I'm gotta go eat. All of a sudden I am starving.

While there is no question that the best football players, baseball players etc. come from the South (probably from the same reason you throw up as an excuse for the poor dietary practices of the region.) Please don't foster any illusions about the diet there or I'll throw a Moon Pie at you. Hmmmmmm, Moon Pie aaaarggglllhhh.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Have you no pity? Posting a picture like that should get anyone banned for life.

Although comparing myself to that makes me think I am skinny.

[Corin Stormhands]

Isn't buttered ice cream a local delicacy?

Especially when it's deep-fried and served with a side of grits.

[stainlessbanner]

Good post. You might like this article - I enjoyed it so much, I posted it earlier today: Two Score & Three

[scouse]

The fact that the south in a magnet for most of country's senior citizens may have a great deal for these results. Add to that the fact that the majority of these seniors are covered by either Medicare or a private insurance company or both and thus attract every quack who can hang a shingle on his wall claiming a medical degree. Some of which are issued in nations where the standards fall far short of degrees offered in this country.

[dixie sass]

Whatchusay! Huh! South Carolina is just as healthy as any other state as well as it's citizens. This type is pure crap.

[marshmallow]

It'll take a whole lot more than a top spot on the health hit parade to get me to consider moving to liberal loonylands like New Hampshire, Minnesota or Massachusetts.

[John Lenin]

That heat will kill ya !

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Hit me with a Moon Pie if you'd like...but please hose me off with some RC Cola when you're done! p.s. I have another theory on why generally Southerners are better soldiers, football players and baseball players, but that's for another thread.

[dljordan]

Watch your mouth! There ain't nuthin' better than toast with hog drippin's yankee!

[justshutupandtakeit]

Hey, boy. I'll bet I am the only person in Chicago who grows butterbeans.

[southern rock]

The article is sooooo right!! It is unhealthy down here. Especially Texas - the worst - just the worst. No place for people to want to migrate. Please, we will force feed you fat 'possum' fried in lard and force you to smoke Camels. No bicycles here - just big old SUV's. Bad place - bad place.

LOL! Yep. Nothin' like a big ol' slab of chicken fried steak to make your life flash before your eyes. I cook mine in Crisco. That's the best.

[from occupied ga]

Walking is an excellent form of exercise. Unfortunately, where I live in Georgia the air is so polluted that it's a health hazard to be outside on most days

Nonsense. Even by the absurdly restrictive EPA rules there were only 20 days in all of 2001 that exceeded the O₃"standards" in Atlanta, and only 3 days in the next highest region. Where do you get this BS? Do you live in the smokstack of plant Bowen?

[RMDupree]

What a joke!

As far as Florida goes, we have one of the highest population of seniors in the country. So, I bet that when one of them dies, the first question out of the UnitedHealth Foundation's mouth is "Did they smoke?" If the answer is yes, they will list that as cause of death, even if the family says they died of liver disease!!

Since we have so many seniors, the number of them that die from "smoking related" illnesses skyrockets. LOL!

[from occupied ga]

The foundation based its rankings on factors including smoking, motor vehicle deaths, heart disease risk, high school graduation rates, children in poverty, prenatal care, access to health insurance, and public spending on healthcare.

This says it all - every one of these is a government bureaucrat's ticket to loot more pelf from the taxpayers and more pass more restrictions on lifestyle. This survey doesn't rank health, but government meddling and taxpayer plundering.