When it comes to overall health, Colorado ranks among the best in the nation.
That’s according to the 22nd annual America’s Health Rankings from United Health Foundation. The report, the longest running of its kind in the country, placed Colorado No. 9 among all 50 states for overall heath, up four spots from last year.
Here’s a snapshot of how Colorado fared in this year’s report.
Colorado’s Strengths:
• Low levels of air pollution
• Lower prevalence of obesity than any other state
• Low prevalence of diabetes
Colorado’s Challenges:
• Low use of early prenatal care
• High geographic disparity, in terms of access to care, within the state
• Low immunization coverage
Colorado residents are getting many things right. While we should take a moment to congratulate ourselves for these successes, we can’t take continued progress for granted. Significant challenges remain.
When United Health Foundation first began ranking American’s health in 1990, smoking represented one such challenge. Nearly three in 10 Coloradoans smoked regularly. But education brought greater understanding of the risks associated with lighting up. We turned attitudes against it, and today, just 16 percent of Coloradoans self-report as smokers. We demonstrated that change is indeed possible, in the process helping many people improve their health and well-being and saving millions of dollars in health care costs.
On the other hand, despite Colorado having the lowest obesity rate in the nation, too many Colorado residents are still considered overweight or obese — and the trend is getting worse. More than 20 percent of Colorado residents are above what is considered by health experts to be a normal weight, compared with 6 percent when the rankings began.
Looking at our neighbors in the West, we see a similar picture: progress tempered by further challenge. Some nearby states include New Mexico (No. 34), Wyoming (No. 21) and Utah (No. 7).
As UnitedHealthcare’s medical director for Colorado, I have witnessed efforts statewide on behalf of the public and private sectors to reverse dangerous health trends, such as the prevalence of binge drinking and immunization coverage, and to improve our overall health outcomes, such as reducing infant mortality and cancer deaths.
In Colorado, for instance, we sponsor the UnitedHealthcare HEROES grants, which offer schools and youth-focused community organizations up to $1,000 to create programs that fight childhood obesity. This program is a step in the right direction, but as a community we must continue to do more.
Through this report and other efforts, our goal is to make Colorado one of the healthiest states in the nation. Together, we can break down barriers to high-quality care. We can take on obesity as we took on smoking. And we can win. It will take work, certainly, and time, but our health is worth that effort.
For more information about America’s Health Rankings, please go to .
Christopher Stanley is senior medical director of UnitedHealthcare of Colorado.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an online-only column and has not been edited.
