According to the 2013 edition of America’s Health Rankings, Wisconsin ranks 20th this year when compared with other states.
The annual study is compiled by the United Health Foundation.
Americans are making considerable progress in their overall health, according to the new study, titled, “A Call to Action for Individuals & Their Communities. Nationwide.”
Americans improved in a majority of the measures captured by the rankings. The most notable gains came in key behavioral measures, including smoking, physical activity and obesity.
The 2013 report illustrates Wisconsin has its share of strengths and challenges.
Wisconsin’s strengths include: high rate of high school graduation; high immunization coverage among children; and low percentage of uninsured population.
Wisconsin’s challenges include: high prevalence of binge drinking; high incidence of infectious diseases; low per capita public health funding.
“United Health Foundation’s annual America’s Health Rankings provides an invaluable look at the challenges and opportunities facing Wisconsin and how the picture of health in our state compares with those of our region and our nation,” said Bruce Weiss, M.D., M.P.H., UnitedHealthcare’s market medical director for Wisconsin. “This report is an important tool for designing meaningful programs to address our biggest challenges and to help us measure the progress we’ve made in our efforts to date.”
