North Carolina Ranks 37th in Health

Once again, North Carolina ranks very low on the America’s Health Rankings. For what looks like the third straight year, The Old North State finished at an almost pathetic 37th out of 50 states. North Carolina has never been higher than 30 and has been as low as 42 since the rankings were started in 1990.

Some of the major issues causing the low ranking included “high prevalence of obesity at 29.5 percent of the population (where it ranked 41st), low immunization coverage for children (45th), and high infant mortality rate (44th). On the brighter side, the study revealed that North Carolina has a low rate of binge drinking, the number of uninsured residents has decreased over the past year, as well did the percentage of the state’s population that smoked.

But, despite these positive changes, North Carolina only ranked in the top 10 in one categories (binge drinking). As well, the percentage of the population who are obese, as mentioned, has risen 10% over the past 20 years. Add off of these up and we end up near the bottom of the barrel.

The best? Vermont.

The worst? Mississippi.

See the full report in PDF form here and a huge chart of all things North Carolina health here.

• RaleighRob
  11/18 08:20 AM
  

  Not a big surprise.  I’m still trying to figure out why people think that to be a “true Southerner” you have to eat large amounts of fatty fried food.  God forbid someone should actually grill or steam something instead.

• matt w
  11/18 08:55 AM
  

  For anyone that has a hard time believing this, take a trip to Lexington, Albemarle, Asheboro, Goldsboro, or any number of other backwater NC towns.  The major population centers of NC are not too bad (not great either), but our small towns are in terrible shape.  I find that it is very much a cultural condition with the types of foods that are consumed in large amounts.  If you are obese, and everyone else you see around you is also obese, what is the impetus to change anything?

• ct
  11/18 01:27 PM
  

  37th might or might not qualify as pathetic, but we all can agree that it’s not good. Is it a surprise to people who moved into Wake County (or Mecklenburg) from another state that economic prosperity in the South is still spotty? It’s not news to any native Southerner. Without islands of urban prosperity in Charlotte, the Triad, and the Triangle, North Carolina would be down there with Mississippi.

• Tony Woodard
  11/18 08:58 PM
  

  This is a chronic problem in NC. As a matter of fact, during WWII NC had more enlistees refused for health reasons than any other state. It was the impetus for Kay Kaiser (a famous band leader born in NC) to form a celebrity group to sing a song - a la We Are The World - to raise money for the founding of UNC Hospital.