Connecticut Among Healthiest States In The Country: Report

Story By Feroze Dhanoa, Patch Staff

Connecticut is among the top five healthiest state in the United States, according to United Health Group’s 2017 rankings. The rankings place the nutmeg state as the fifth healthiest state in the country, a drop in the rankings from the previous year.

The group’s annual “America’s Health Rankings” report published this month looks at 35 measures covering behaviors, community and environment, policy, clinical care and outcomes data. The report’s executive summary says that the country is facing serious public health challenges, including rising rates of premature death and an uneven concentration of health care providers.

According to the report, the premature death rate (death before the age of 75) increased for the third straight year. 2017 also saw an increase in the rates of cardiovascular and drug deaths nationwide. The report also found a wide disparity in the concentration of both mental health providers and of primary care physicians and dentists in the country.

The healthiest states in the U.S. for 2017 are:

1. Massachusetts
2. Hawaii
3. Vermont
4. Utah
5. Connecticut

The states that rank at the bottom of the report are:

1. West Virginia
2. Alabama
3. Arkansas
4. Louisiana
5. Mississippi

According to the report, Connecticut fell down two spots in the rankings compared to 2016. The state ranks seventh for senior health and fourth for the health of women and children.

Some of Connecticut’s strengths highlighted in the report are low prevalence of smoking, low violent crime rate and a low percentage of uninsured population. Some of the challenges the state faces are a high drug death rate, high levels of air pollution and a large disparity in health status by educational attainment.

Drug deaths in the state increased in the past three years from 11 deaths per 100,000 population to 18.4 deaths per 100,000 population.

The state ranks fifth in the country when it comes to dentists per 100,000 population. Connecticut also ranked highly in both the number of mental health providers and the number of primary care physicians, ranking ninth and fourth respectively.