Yay! We are #33 in NC! Latest relative state health rankings....

[NRaleighLiberal]

http://www.americashealthrankings.org/rankings

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/vermont-tops-list-healthiest-states-142325809--abc-news-health.html

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"For the fourth year in a row, Vermont takes the top spot as healthiest state. Applauding the state's high rate of high school graduation and low rate of uninsured population, the report also finds that Vermont is not without its problems. Vermonters have a relatively high rate of cancer deaths and participate in binge drinking more than most states (Wisconsiners binge drink the most, Tennesseans the least). Vermont is in good company in the northeast with seven states from the region making it into the top 10.

Second place goes to Hawaii, a regular contender for first place. Since the ranking started in 1990, Hawaii has consistently ranked in the top six states. Hawaiians enjoy low rates of obesity and smoking, but have high rates of binge drinking and low birth weight babies.

Louisiana and Mississippi are tied for the least healthy state and have consistently been at the bottom of the list for the past 23 years. Both states have low rates of binge drinking, but suffer from high rates of occupational fatalities and children in poverty. These two states are in the bottom five in about half of the 24 components that make up the overall ranking, including high rates of chronic conditions like sedentary lifestyle, obesity and diabetes.

These chronic conditions are also putting the entire nation's health most at risk. Obesity alone is the leading cause of preventable death and costs our nation about $200 billion each year. More than 66 million adults are obese - that's more than one in four Americans. Colorado is the least obese and least sedentary state, in contrast to Mississippi which is the most obese and most sedentary."

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[Laelth]

1. What happened to us over the past 20 years?

Just looking at the obesity statistics, here in Georgia obesity has jumped from roughly 10% to roughly 30% of the population since 1992. What in the world happened?

When, I wonder, did our major food producers start adding high fructose corn syrup to many of the foods we commonly eat? I would guess that there's a correlation.

-Laelth