Vermont Rated #1 in Health
November 2009 brought Vermont a new honor: the healthiest state in the nation. The 20th Annual America’s Health Rankings released last month declared Vermont the healthiest state based on 22 health-related factors. The two largest risk factors for our nation’s health today? Obesity and smoking.
The United Health Foundation releases the health rankings each year based on state rates for factors such as percentage of children in poverty, availability of health care and physicians, mental and physical health scores, health insurance rates, air pollution, infectious disease rates, and more. Vermont was ranked 4th in 2008 and jumped to 1st this year. The study results showed that Vermont ranks higher for health determinants than for health outcomes, indicating that overall healthiness should remain high over time.
In this year’s report, the Foundation noted that while smoking has been our nation’s biggest health challenge in the past two decades, obesity is poised to become our next big health issue. The Foundation states on their website, “Obesity is growing faster than any previous public health issue our nation has faced. Today, more than one in four Americans are considered obese (31 percent). If current trends continue, 103 million American adults – or 43 percent of the population – will be considered obese by 2018, making obesity the nation`s next health battle.”
We at Vtrim are happy to see Vermont at the top of the new health rankings as it resonates with everything we’ve been researching and sharing for almost two decades now ourselves: healthy habits make for a healthier quality of life. Want to learn more about lowering your health risks and establishing a better lifestyle through smarter health behaviors? Check out our class listings for 2010 and find out more about Vtrim…a program grown out of the nation’s healthiest state!
For more information on the 20th Annual America’s Health Rankings, visit http://www.americashealthrankings.org/
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