South Carolina’s National Health Rankings Released

The United Health Foundation has released a study detailing 2012 national health rankings for all 50 states. Here is where South Carolina stands:

• 46th overall in rankings of healthiest states. In 2011, South Carolina was 45.
• 49th in prevalence of diabetes
• 39th in smoking prevalence
• 42nd overall in obesity ranking

Strengths:

• Low prevalence of binge drinking
• Moderate rate of preventable hospitalizations

Challenges:

• High prevalence of low birthweight
• Low high school graduation rate
• High percentage of children in poverty

Highlights:

• South Carolina has one of the highest rates of diabetes at 12.1 percent of the adult population, with 435,000 adults with diabetes.
• In the past year the high school graduation rate increased from 62.2 percent to 66.0 percent of incoming ninth graders who graduated within four years.
• In the past 5 years, the percentage of children in poverty increased from 15.6 percent to 26.3 percent of persons under age 18.
• In the past 10 years, the rate of preventable hospitalizations decreased from 78.6 to 61.2 discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.
• South Carolina ranks below the median state on all measures except two – binge drinking and preventable hospitalizations.

To read more about this report, and to check out rankings from all 50 states, please visit www.americashealthrankings.org