The annual report uses four groups of health determinants (Behaviors, Community and environment, Policy and Clinical care) to determine the various health rankings of the 50 states. The desired outcome of the reports is to mobilize individuals and communities into action, hoping to better the state ranking and improve overall health for everyone.
Where does Colorado rank? For 2012, Colorado is ranked 11th overall, up three spots from 2011. According to the America's Health Ranking website, Colorado has "[l]ower prevalences of sedentary lifestyle, obesity, & diabetes than all other states" and a "[l]ow rate of preventable hospitalizations." Health challenges faced by Colorado include a low immunization coverage (ranked 45 in this area) and high geographic disparity (ranked 44 in this area).
For more information and interesting facts about Colorado (such as the percentage of child poverty decreasing from 18.5% to 15.5% in the past year) please visit Colorado's page at the America's Health Rankings website. Visitors can view individual state rankings, as well as compare states in different areas of health.
