Indiana Was Just Ranked As One Of The Unhealthiest Places To Live In America And We're Not Surprised
By Elizabeth Crozier|Published January 19, 2019
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Elizabeth Crozier
Author
An Illinois transplant who grew up and went to school in Indiana for 22 years, Elizabeth holds a BFA in creative writing and has enjoyed traveling across the country and parts of Europe. She has visited half of the states, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and regularly travels home to the Hoosier State to see friends and family. With more than five years of writing experience, Elizabeth’s articles have been featured on several websites, and her poetry and short stories have been published in multiple literary journals.
We’re always hearing news about how overweight and unhealthy our Hoosier cities are, so it should come as no surprise that we’ve been ranked by the United Health Foundation as the tenth worst place to live. We’re among the unhealthiest places in America, and this article will tell you why.
It’s not all bad news, though. Scroll to the bottom to find out what is going right in the Hoosier State. Check it out:
The worst health impact on Indiana in 2018 was an increase in smoking. Over the past two years, this habit has increased by six percent among adults.
Unfortunately, the state also didn't score well on the number of mental health providers per 100,00 people, of which there are only 153.
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Indiana is also known as one of the unhealthiest places in America due to its lack of dentists. This year, there were only about 47 of these doctors for every 100,000 people, which is only an increase of just one dentist since 2017.
One thing that hasn't changed in the state is the number of deaths from cancer, but the numbers still aren't good. With about 210 people dying for every 100,000 patients, this has had a negative impact on the state's overall health report.
Another negative impact that makes Indiana one of the unhealthiest places in the nation is our lack of exercise. Less than 30 percent of adults report engaging in enough physical activity. Unfortunately, there aren't many places to go hiking or running unless you live near a state park.
It should come as no surprise that Indiana didn't score well on the obesity scale. It is estimated that about 33 percent of adult Hoosiers are obese. In part, you can blame this on the lack of fun outdoor activities.
Other places where Indiana scored low were on infant mortality (about seven out of 1,000), premature death (75 per 100,000), and childhood immunizations of which about only 66 percent of children receive.
That said, HPV immunization amongst males between the ages of 13 and 17 increased by 36 percent.
It's not all bad news for Indiana. The high school graduation rate increased this year with more than 86 percent of students getting to turn their tassels. Additionally, over the past six years, the number of children in poverty has decreased by 20 percent, and air pollution has decreased by 23 percent over the past three years.
