Last week USA Today published an article based on the findings of the United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention. These groups publish the longest-running state-by-state analysis of our nation’s health. The good news is MA came in third and most of the states in the Northeast are among the healthiest. The bad news is the obesity rate is on the rise virtually everywhere, increasing from 27.6% to 29.4% of adults.
Obesity is a leading contributor to death – more than doubling over the last 25 – and it is closely tied to chronic, costly diseases including diabetes and high blood pressure. It seems to me the best way for us to lower our healthcare costs over the long run is to get away from prescribing pills and start demanding patients get active; mandating 30-60 minutes of supervised activity from personal trainers and nutritionists 4-5 times per week but that common sense approach which has more cost up front isn’t likely to happen anytime soon.
See where your state ranks in this annual study.
Click on image to enlarge
Note Washington, D.C. was not ranked. Read the article in USA Today, here.
BosGuy 