Louisiana overtakes Mississippi as least healthy state in new 2018 study

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MOST CHALLENGED STATES Louisiana ranks No. 50 this year, replacing Mississippi as the state with the greatest challenges. Louisiana ranks No. 50 in both behaviors and community & environment categories, No. 47 in clinical care and No. 48 in health outcomes.

Louisiana’s challenges include:

Highest prevalence of children in poverty at 28.0 percent, compared with 18.4 percent nationally.

High prevalence of smoking at 23.1 percent of adults, compared with 17.1 percent nationally.

High prevalence of obesity at 36.2 percent of adults, compared with 31.3 percent nationally.

High prevalences of frequent mental distress and frequent physical distress at 16.1 and 16.5 percent of adults, respectively, compared with 12.0 percent for each nationally.

High percentage of low birthweight babies at 10.6 percent of live births, compared with 8.2 percent nationally.

Louisiana’s bright spots are:

High number of mental health providers at 271.9 providers per 100,000 population, compared with 234.7 per 100,000 nationally.

Low incidence of pertussis at 1.4 new cases per 100,000 population, compared with 5.6 per 100,000 nationally.

High HPV immunization coverage among females aged 13 to 17 at 64.3 percent, compared with 53.1 percent nationally.

High Tdap and meningococcal immunization coverage among adolescents at 90.1 percent and 89.0 percent, respectively, compared with 88.7 percent and 85.1 percent nationally.

Other states in the bottom five are Mississippi (No. 49), Alabama (No. 48), Oklahoma (No. 47) and Arkansas (No. 46). Oklahoma fell from No. 43, while West Virginia moved out of the bottom five to No. 44 this year.

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