Georgia drops into bottom 10 on health

An annual ranking of overall health in each of the 50 states has dropped Georgia into the bottom 10.

The 19th annual ranking, released this week by the United Health Foundation, a private, nonprofit health advocacy organization, put Georgia No. 41 out of the 50 states. Last year, Georgia ranked No. 40.

Vermont, Hawaii and New Hampshire topped the new list; Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina were rated the bottom three states.

The report cited several health challenges in Georgia, including high levels of pollution and a high rate of infectious disease (estimated at 30 cases per 100,000 people). And during the past 20 years, the percentage of obese Georgians has ballooned from 11 percent to 29 percent of the population, according to the study.

On the bright side, Georgia has a low prevalence of binge drinking and high levels of immunization coverage, with 81 percent of children ages 19 months to 35 months receiving complete immunizations, according to the report.

Georgia is not alone in its health challenges, the foundation said. It offered some tough words for the entire nation, which it says is facing rising obesity rates and an uptick in the number of people without health insurance.

“Our collective national failure to successfully address the determinants of health over the past several years is tragically documented in this year’s report,” Dr. Reed Tuckson, a United Health Foundation board member, said in a news release. “Without action in these severe economic times, the harsh findings of this report will only be worse next year for our nation, states, communities, families and individuals.”

The full report, “America’s Health Rankings 2008,” can be found on the foundation’s Web site, www.unitedhealthfoundation.org.

HEALTH RANKINGS

The top 10 states in terms of overall health in 2008, according to the United Health Foundation:

1. Vermont

2. Hawaii

3. New Hampshire

4. Minnesota

5. Utah

6. Massachusetts

7. Connecticut

8. Idaho

9. Maine

10. Washington

The 10 states at the bottom of the list:

40. Alabama

41. Georgia

42. Nevada

43. Arkansas, Oklahoma

45. Florida

46. Texas

47. Tennessee

48. South Carolina

49. Mississippi

50. Louisiana