The United States of America is a powerful country when it comes to economic and world dominance. More than being powerful, however, the US can also be considered as the healthiest country when it comes to its population. Since the country is composed of 50 states, one might think which among them are the fittest states. As expected, not all states offer the same level of health due to their differences not only in geographical part but most importantly on their health benefits and how their population deal with concerns such as mental health issues. No one would want to live in the least healthy states, right? If you are looking for a place to relocate in America, these are the best states for your health according to The Fiscal Times.
10 Healthiest States in the United States and What’s their secret?
1. Hawaii
Whether you based it on the health index by state or just simple surveys by different news outlets or surveyor groups, Hawaii always makes it on the list. Hawaii has held the number one spot for 5 consecutive years already. Ever since the report for the healthiest started in 1990, Hawaii always belonged to the top 6. The state has low obesity level and they also have a low rate of preventable hospitalizations. Moreover, most of the population in the state have insurance and only a very low percentage of people do not have it.
2. Massachusetts
Massachusetts has the lowest infant mortality rate in the whole of America at just 3%. The suicide rate in the state is also at 3%. When it comes to the health of the senior citizens as well as that of women and children, Massachusetts ensures that they give the best health to them thus they lead as the top state when it comes to seniors, women and children’s health. This place also has the lowest uninsured rate than other states at 3.1%, which means that most of its population have insurances to take care of themselves. Probably, one of the secrets of Massachusetts to ensure their citizens live a healthy life is the fact that they have a high number of primary care physicians to look after the well-being of the population.
3. Connecticut
Connecticut is one of the states with the lowest smoking rate and highest in dental health visits for both adults and children. The reason why Connecticut is able to maintain a healthy state is that more than 80% of children in the state get their recommended vaccinations on time which ranked the state as the highest child immunization rate in the country. For the past nine years, deaths due to cancer have also fallen at 9% which is obviously a great feat to boast of. Furthermore, the state also has a low incidence of infectious diseases.
4. Minnesota
The state of Minnesota has the lowest child poverty rate. The low rate is essential to the state as it is one of the most important health indicator of overall health ranking as children living poorly usually have unmet health needs. One of the best things in Minnesota is that they rank as the lowest overall death rate for people below 75 years of age in the whole country. The state also has the lowest rate of cardiovascular-related deaths in the country.
5. Vermont
Though Vermont had a higher ranking from last year, it still made the top 5 this year. It has a low obesity rate that only proves citizens of Vermont are fitness buffs. The state also has the lowest level of violent crime rates which makes it relatively safe for living. There is a low percentage of uninsured people in the state too.
I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you.
6. New Hampshire
From top 5, New Hampshire was kicked off one spot lower this year. Nonetheless, the preventable hospitalization rate for the state fell to 23% in just 3 years. It is also a friendly state when it comes to environment and community as it ranks first in the state that does certain measures to help the surroundings like dealing with air pollution and decreasing child poverty rate.
7. Washington
This year has been good for Washington as it moved up two places from being ranked 9th in the previous year. Washington has a low smoking rate, low occurrence of low birthweight, and drug deaths fell by 13% for the past 4 years. The rate of citizens without insurance also fell more than 40% in the past couple of years. The state also has a high coverage of immunization for children.
8. Utah
Believe it or not, less than 10% of the 3 million residents of Utah smoke. This remarkable act gives the state the top spot in the lowest smoking rate in the country. This might be one of the reasons why Utah has the fewest per capita when it comes to cancer deaths. It also has a low percentage when it comes to children living in poverty. It also has the top spot for the fewest hospital readmissions among its residents ensuring that people who are admitted come out of the facility fully healed.
9. New Jersey
The state of New Jersey has a total area of 8,723 sq. mi and houses around 8.96 million residents. With these numbers, the state is known to have the highest number of dentists per capita compared to any other states in the country. Dentists play an important role not only in dental health but in overall health as well considering that they can help spot underlying conditions such as nutritional deficiencies and infections too. The state also has a low rate of smoking and low rate for infant mortality.
10. Colorado
If you are looking for the fittest state of all time, then Colorado is what you are looking for. The state has the lowest physical inactivity rate all throughout the country. The low physical inactivity among its residents is the reason why it did not experience a yearly increase in obesity from years 2012 to 2016. As a matter of fact, it has the lowest level of obesity at 20%, whereas the average rate in the nation for obesity is around 30%. The state also has a low rate for diabetic patients.
