Dec 07 2008
America’s Health Rankings
A new report from the American Public Health Association just revealed something we all know, yet hate to admit: Americans’ health isn’t getting any better. Blame it on unprecendented levels of obesity, larger numbers of people without health insurance, and rising tobacco use.
How bad is it?
- 1 out of every 5 deaths in the US is due to smoking
- 1 in 4 Americans are obese, with increased risk of developing heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer
- 46 million of us don’t have health insurance, and that number is rising
Those of us who live in Vermont, ranked the healthiest state in the nation for the past 2 years, may feel a bit smug. However, we still have people in poverty, the number of children living in poverty is actually increasing, it can be difficult to find a local physician, and with the sinking economy more people are relying on food shelves. We may be healthier than the rest of the country, but we certainly have our work cut out for us.
What’s one step you can take to improve your health in the coming year? If each of us make just one change, the entire nation will be healthier.
You can find a comlete listing of the state health rankings at www.americashealthrankings.org