PUBLISHED: December 7, 2010

Vermont again ranked as healthiest state

WCAX.com | Link to article

Vermont is once again the healthiest state in the country.

The 21st annual America's Health Rankings places Vermont at the top of the list, with Massachusetts second and New Hampshire third. New York claims spot 24 and Mississippi comes in last.

The report weighs 22 factors. Vermont scores well for its high rate of high school graduation, low rate of uninsured residents, public health funding and access to early prenatal care. However the report points out that the state faces large challenges with binge drinking. However, the report highlights a medical issue Vermont has made great progress solving. The first report, issued in 1990, found Vermont's cardiovascular death rate stood at 401.7 per 100,000 people. Now that number stands at 241.

The authors of the study say the nation as a whole has gotten healthier but that's offset by an increasing obesity problem, a growing number of children in poverty and a significant lack of health insurance.

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