A new published study has identified the states and regions with the unhealthiest population in the United States of America.
Forbes Advisor conducted the analysis and ranked each state based on several factors, including rates of drug abuse, unhealthy lifestyle habits, and chronic disease.
And to think the I once accepted an offer for a job to teach at Indiana’s Tri-State Univesity for one long, cold year and now I can also add unhealthy.
Mississippi, deemed the second unhealthiest state, has the shortest life expectancy at 73.63 years, the study found. The Magnolia State faces elevated rates of chronic diseases, including the highest cancer mortality rate in the country (17.37 deaths per 100,000 state residents).
The data also shows that Mississippi has higher rates of diabetes and hypertension, with 43.9% of adults in the state diagnosed with high blood pressure and 13.7% diagnosed with diabetes.
Aside from West Virginia and Mississippi, six other southern states are among the top 10 unhealthiest:
- West Virginia
- Mississippi
- Tennessee
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Alabama
- Louisiana
- Oklahoma
- Ohio
- Indiana
Hawaii is not only one of the most beautiful states in the U.S., but it has the best health profile. The Forbes Advisor study found that residents in the Aloha State have the highest life expectancy in the country (80.87 years), and the prevalence of chronic diseases is notably lower compared to other states. And so it goes.