United Health Foundation Ranking of the Healthiest States: Colorado Ranked 8th

According to an annual ranking of the most and least healthy states by the United Health Foundation, as reported by Forbes, Colorado was ranked the 8th most healthy state. Mississippi was ranked the least healthy state.

See below for a summary excerpt on Colorado from the United Health Foundation website http://www.americashealthranking.org/ :

"Ranking: Colorado is 8th this year; it was 14th in 2008.

Strengths: Strengths include a low prevalence of obesity at 19.1 percent of the population, low levels of air pollution at 7.7 micrograms of fine particulate per cubic meter, few poor mental and physical health days per month at 3.0 days and 3.2 days in the previous 30 days, respectively, low rates of deaths from cancer and cardiovascular disease at 166.1 deaths and 235.1 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively, and a low rate of preventable hospitalizations with 53.7 discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.

Challenges: Challenges include a high prevalence of binge drinking at 16.6 percent of the population, a high rate of uninsured population at 16.1 percent and high geographic disparity within the state at 15.8 percent.

Significant Changes: In the last year, public health funding increased from $74 to $88 per person. In the last year, the rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease declined from 247.0 to 235.1 deaths per 100,000 population. In the past five years, immunization coverage increased from 67.5 percent to 80.7 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving complete immunizations. In the past ten years, the prevalence of smoking decreased from 22.8 percent to 17.6 percent of the population.

Health Disparities: In Colorado, smoking is more prevalent among non-Hispanic blacks at 25.2 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 16.5 percent. Mortality rates vary by race and ethnicity in Colorado, with 835.3 deaths per 100,000 population among blacks compared to whites, who experience 748.5 deaths per 100,000 population."

The above excerpt was from http://www.americashealthrankings.org/yearcompare/2008/2009/CO.aspx