US needs policies focusing on childhood nutrition and physical activity.

United Health Foundation, together with the American Public Health Association (APHA) and Partnership for Prevention, on Monday released the 15th annual "America’s Health: State Health Rankings" at the APHA’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

This year’s report reveals a 17.5 percent improvement in America’s overall health during the past 15 years. However, the report also shows that the rate of improvement is slowing significantly due to a combination of personal, community and public health issues.

During the 1990s, health in the United States improved by an annual rate of 1.5 percent each year. However, during the 2000s, health in the United States has improved by an annual rate of only 0.2 percent each year -- 1/8 the rate experienced during the 1990s.

A Lot More Work to Do

“During the last four years, the data clearly indicate that we as a nation still have a lot more work to do in improving risk factors that result in disease. This year’s report specifically highlights the prevalence of obesity, the infant mortality rate -- which has experienced its first increase in 40 years -- and access to essential health services as priorities for action,” explained Dr. William McGuire, chairman of the United Health Foundation board. “It is the foundation’s hope that individuals, community leaders and those involved in creating public policy will use the information found in America’s Health: State Health Rankings -- in addition to other state-specific data -- to address the factors that affect the overall health of their communities.”

America’s Health: State Health Rankings is a comprehensive, multi-dimensional, yearly analysis of the relative healthiness of the American population using information supplied by credible sources such as the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and Labor and the National Safety Council. Led by the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a distinguished panel of public health scholars oversees the methodology for the rankings, and an independent research group analyzes the data to author the report.

America’s Health: State Health Rankings utilizes 18 measures that include prevalence of smoking, high school graduation rates, infant mortality rates, premature death, and per capita public health spending to produce a composite assessment of each state’s health. Ultimately, these measures reflect three essential contributors to healthiness: the decisions made by individuals that promote health and prevent disease; the community environment that affects the health of individuals and families; and the health policies made by public and elected officials that determine the availability of public health and medical-care resources.

97% Increase in Obesity

Perhaps no issue better illustrates how these three categories affect health than the increasing prevalence of obesity. This year’s report reveals that the prevalence of obesity has increased by 97.0 percent since 1990, and now affects 22.8 percent of the total population of the United States. Obesity is known to contribute to a variety of diseases, preventable healthcare costs and diminished workplace productivity.

“If we are to succeed in combating the obesity epidemic, individuals need to make responsible choices, communities need to mobilize resources, and effective public policies need to be enacted that promote appropriate childhood nutrition and encourage physical activity,” added Dr. Reed Tuckson, vice president for United Health Foundation.

“While we as a nation must focus on persistent challenges, we must also celebrate and learn from our successes,” stated Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the APHA. “During the past 15 years, each state has effectively addressed health challenges with innovative solutions, and, therefore, each state has experienced real success in targeted areas.”