America`s Health RankingsTM has tracked the health of the nation for the past 20 years, providing a unique, comprehensive perspective on how the nation - and each state - measures up. The 20th anniversary edition of the Rankings suggests our nation  is  extremely adept at treating illness and disease.  However, Americans are struggling to change unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and obesity, which cause these diseases in the first place. Trends cite smoking as the greatest health challenge of the past 20 years and warn obesity is likely to be the next national health battle.

The 2009 Rankings shows the nation`s health care system has become extremely adept at treating certain illnesses and disease, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, Americans are struggling in the battle to modify risk factors, such as smoking, poor eating habits and lack of exercise, which may contribute to chronic diseases in the first place. The United States currently spends more per capita than any other nation on health care, including $1.8 trillion in medical costs associated with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. These chronic, preventable conditions all have a direct link to smoking and obesity, the nation`s two largest national risk factors.

• As we look back, smoking stands out as the greatest public health battle of the past 20 years. Despite focused efforts, nearly one in five Americans still smoke, which is only 8 million people fewer than 20 years ago. Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the country, leading to approximately 440,000 deaths annually. Over the past year, more than 3 million people have quit smoking, proving that smoke-free laws, smoking bans, increased cigarette taxes, access to smoking cessation programs and other interventions are beginning to make an impact. The new e-Rankings  search tool lets visitors view health determinants, such as prevalence of smoking, for the entire nation or for a specific state and/or year.

• Obesity is growing faster than any previous public health issue our nation has faced. Today, more than one in four Americans are considered obese (31 percent). If current trends continue, 103 million American adults - or 43 percent of the population - will be considered obese by 2018, making obesity the nation`s next health battle. Included as supplemental data to this year`s Rankings are estimates around the growth of health care costs over the next 10 years if obesity continues to rise at unprecedented levels. Left unchecked, obesity will add nearly $344 billion to the nation`s annual health care costs by 2018 and account for more than 21 percent of health care spending. millions. Find out what obesity is costing your state today, and if trends continue, what it may cost in the future.

The report suggests that when you place emphasis on other key issues, change happens. In fact over the past 20 years, the nation has seen significant declines in crime rates and infectious disease as a direct result of local and national initiatives. More>>