The results are in: according to American Health Rankings report, which is already in its 25th year, Hawaii emerges as the healthiest state in America.
The Aloha State registered a high score in terms of low cancer deaths and hospitalization, as well as obesity rate. The Huffington Post, meanwhile, in one of its 2013 articles, Hawaii may have bagged the "healthiest state" tag because of their great outdoor environment and good eating lifestyle.
Nevertheless, the state may want to improve immunization coverage for children and limit rates of infectious diseases and binge drinking.
Other states that made it to the top ranks are Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Utah.
If there are healthy states, there are also unhealthiest ones, and Mississippi is right at the bottom. Rounding up the bottom five are Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. Alabama and West Virginia, which usually belonged to the bottom five, are already out of the "circle." Mississippi, which always belonged to the bottom five, suffered from very low immunization rates among teens and lack of physical activity.
The report also highlighted some of the major positive changes that are happening in the people's health and well-being. For example, the average life expectancy of Americans is already close to 80 years old, the highest it's ever been since the report's release.
There are also fewer people who have been dying due to cardiovascular diseases. Even infant mortality dropped. The rate of death among cancer patients also continues to decline steadily since 1996.
However, the country is also getting fatter as the nationwide average of obesity has increased this year to 29.4%. About 14 years ago, the percentage was just a little over 10%. One of the potential reasons is the lack of physical activity, which could have helped burn calories and reduce the build-up of unwanted fat. More than 23% of American adults didn't perform any physical activity in the last month.
