Report ranks Ind. among unhealthiest states

INDIANAPOLIS (AP/WANE) -- Indiana ranks among America's most unhealthy states in an annual study.

America's Health Rankings lists Indiana 41st in its annual review, which was released Tuesday. The report is published by the United Health Foundation , American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention .

Hoosiers' weight problems, lack of exercise and other unhealthy habits landed Indiana a spot in the bottom 10 in a ranking of America's healthiest states released Tuesday.

The ranking is four spots below where Indiana ranked in 2011.  Here are some of the statistical highlights from the study:

• Indiana has one of the highest prevalence of smoking in the U.S., with more than 1.25 million adults still smoking.
• More than a half million of adults in Indiana have diabetes, and more than 1.5 million adults are obese.
• In the past 10 years, the percentage of children in poverty more than doubled from 10.8 percent to 23.6 percent of persons under age 18.
• In the past year, the incidence of infectious disease rose from 7.8 to 11.7 cases per 100,000 population.
• Although Indiana has one of the lowest amounts of public health funding in the U.S., it has increased from $33 to $44 per person over the last five years.
• In the past five years, the rate of preventable hospitalizations decreased from 83.2 to 76.0 discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.
• Strengths include low prevalence of binge drinking, low geographic disparity within the state and low rate of uninsured population.
• Challenges include high prevalence of smoking, high levels of air pollution and low per capita public health funding.
• More highlights and an infographic are available at http://www.americashealthrankings.org/IN

Indiana Public Health Association Executive Director Jerry King tells The Indianapolis Star that the low ranking is no surprise because Hoosiers traditionally don't pay serious attention to their health.

There were a few bright spots, though: Indiana fared better than other states when it came to binge drinking and the number of people who don't have health insurance.

Other states moved up in the rankings, which may have helped to push Indiana down in the list, said Eric Wright, director of the Center for Health Policy at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

But it's still a wake-up call, he said. Besides personal traits like obesity and smoking, bigger factors like air pollution and low public health funding contribute to Indiana's status. And physical health is reflected in economic health, he said.

"The bottom line is, this is very much intertwined with our economic health," Wright said. "If we don't have a healthy work force, we will not have a healthy economy. By promoting more public health, we will improve our economy."

The report, which considers behavioral, statistical and environmental factors, found Indiana spent $44 per person on public health, ranking it 47th among all states. Hawaii, which spends the most, spends $236.

"We don't do enough," Wright said. "If Indiana is serious about it, the Legislature should be putting more funding behind the State Department of Health to support us."

There were a few bright spots, though: Indiana fared better than other states when it came to binge drinking and the number of people who don't have health insurance. Earlier this year, legislators passed a law banning smoking in many public places, including restaurants. And Indiana University is opening two schools of public health, in Bloomington and in Indianapolis.
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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com