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The World Health Organization (WHO) has definitions for all kinds of illnesses and maladies. It also has one for health. Good health isn’t just being disease or infirmity free.
WHO defines it as the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.
That’s WHO. We — you and me — define health differently. Some of us value appearance and weight. Others find muscle mass as being healthy. Then there is mental well-being. Some find that most important. Still others define good health as the absence of dangerous medical conditions or disease.
That brings us to the United States. We are one of the wealthiest countries on the planet. We also spend more on healthcare than any country in the world. Spending is one thing, successful health because of the spending is another.
We — dare we say — enjoy a high percentage of chronic health conditions and preventable deaths. Obesity is one of the big killers in the U.S. It leads to other problems like cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart diseases and strokes.
How serious is obesity in the United States? In 2017-2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says obesity hit 42.4% of the U.S. population. That’s a huge jump from the 30.5% in 1999-2000.
Obesity is expensive and costs people, insurers and the government, billions each year.
Good health and ill-health comes from a number of factors. It depends on housing, financial safety and household income, a person’s lifestyle, culture, employment, safety where a person lives, education and other things.
The healthiest states list rankings include healthy behaviors, healthcare quality, the presence of disease and deaths from illness. Vermont is the healthiest state in the U.S. The obesity rate is 26.6% and physical activity is done daily by 80% of the state’s residents.
Public health funding is very high and the state spends $157 per person on programs to promote healthy habits like exercise and nutrition. Another plus, Vermont has 395.3 primary care physicians per 100,000 people.
The PIA Western Alliance state of Washington is 9th on the healthy list. The smoking rate is just 12.6% and the obesity rate for adults is 28.3%. Just 19.2% of adults in Washington fail to get regular exercise. That gives the state the fifth lowest rate of premature deaths at 6.086 per 100,000 people.
Washingtonians also get regular exercise and Washington boasts of a very low rate of cardiovascular deaths at 222.4 per 100,000.
The least healthiest states are Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Arkansas in that order. Those states have very high obesity rates, heavy to excessive drinking rates, a high cancer rate and low quality healthcare.
Here is how the nine PIA Western Alliance states do with obesity, smoking, drinking and health habits.
Alaska Smoking rate: 17.4% Obesity rate: 30.5% Premature death rate per 100,000: 7,978 Physical activity rate: 21.7% Public health funding per capita: 289 Excessive drinking rates: 18.2% Uninsured residents: 12.2% Primary care physicians per 100,000: 321.1
Arizona Smoking rate: 14.9% Obesity rate: 31.4% Premature death rate per 100,000: 7,527 Physical activity rate: 24.1% Public health funding per capita: 57 Excessive drinking rates: 16.5% Uninsured residents: 11.3% Primary care physicians per 100,000: 214.9
California Smoking rate: 10% Obesity rate: 26.3% Premature death rate per 100,000: 5,650 Physical activity rate: 22.4% Public health funding per capita: 118 Excessive drinking rates: 18.3% Uninsured residents: 7.7% Primary care physicians per 100,000: 189.7
Idaho Smoking rate: 15.3% Obesity rate: 29.5% Premature death rate per 100,000: 5,788 Physical activity rate: 23.8% Public health funding per capita: 150 Excessive drinking rates: 18.7% Uninsured residents: 10.8% Primary care physicians per 100,000: 211.4
Montana Smoking rate: 16.6% Obesity rate: 28.3 Premature death rate per 100,000: 7,372 Physical activity rate: 19.7% Public health funding per capita: 125 Excessive drinking rates: 22.7% Uninsured residents: 8.3% Primary care physicians per 100,000: 261.6
Nevada Smoking rate: 15.7% Obesity rate: 30.6% Premature death rate per 100,000: 7,722 Physical activity rate: 25.8% Public health funding per capita: 50 Excessive drinking rates: 18.4% Uninsured residents: 11.4% Primary care physicians per 100,000: 182.8
New Mexico Smoking rate: 16% Obesity rate: 31.7% Premature death rate per 100,000: 9,262 Physical activity rate: 25.4% Public health funding per capita: 226 Excessive drinking rates: 16.3% Uninsured residents: 10.0% Primary care physicians per 100,000: 247.9
Oregon Smoking rate: 14.5% Obesity rate: 29.0% Premature death rate per 100,000: 6,262 Physical activity rate: 23.9% Public health funding per capita: 86 Excessive drinking rates: 19.6% Uninsured residents: 7.2% Primary care physicians per 100,000: 244.4
Washington Smoking rate: 12.6% Obesity rate: 28.3% Premature death rate per 100,000: 6,086 Physical activity rate: 19.2% Public health funding per capita: 102 Excessive drinking rates: 15.7% Uninsured residents: 6.6% Primary care physicians per 100,000: 248.4
Source link: World Population Review — https://bit.ly/3A8m7MT |
About PIA Western Alliance
The Professional Insurance Agents Western Alliance is a membership organization promoting and enhancing the success of independent agencies seeking to grow, learn and be heard within the industry.
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