Hawaii slips to fourth among states in health survey

Hawaii slipped three spots in an annual list of health rankings, from No. 1 last year to No. 4 in 2009, according to a national health study released on Nov. 17. Vermont, Utah and Massachusetts took the top three spots, followed by Hawaii, New Hampshire and Minnesota on the 2009 America’s Health Rankings list. Mississippi, Oklahoma and Alabama were considered the least healthy states.

Hawaii was recognized for low prevalence of smoking and obesity, low levels of air pollution, a low rate of uninsured people and low rates of deaths from cancer and cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, Hawaii showed a high prevalence of binge drinking.

America’s Health Rankings is an annual report of health produced by the United Health Foundation, Partnership for Prevention and the American Public Health Association. The report measures chronic disease, infant mortality rates and even high school graduation rates to determine the overall health of a state. It also measures personal behaviors, the environment in which people live and work, public health policy and delivery of health care. Here are a few highlights:

• Hawaii has an uninsured population of 7.7 percent.
• Hawaii has a low death rate for cardiovascular disease of 230.7 deaths per 100,000 population.
• Hawaii has a low cancer death rate of 157.5 deaths per 100,000 population.
• Hawaii has a low prevalence of smoking at 15.4 percent of the population.

To view Hawaii's results, click here.