Strengths:

• Low levels of air pollution
• Low prevalence of low birthweight
• Low prevalence of sedentary lifestyle

 

Challenges:

• High prevalence of binge drinking
• High violent crime rate
• Low high school graduation rate

 

Highlights:

• Almost 150,000 adults in Alaska are obese and more than 40,000 adults in the state have diabetes.
• In the past five years, the rate of preventable hospitalizations decreased from 58.2 to 54.5 discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.
• In the past ten years, the rate of cardiovascular deaths decreased from 284.7 to 219.3 deaths per 100,000 population.
• High school graduation rates improved in the last five years from 67.2 percent to 72.6 percent of incoming ninth graders who graduate within four years.
• More than 120,000 adults smoke in Alaska.
• The number of occupational fatalities decreased from 12.5 to 8.1 deaths per 100,000 workers in the past five years.

 

Disparities:

• In Alaska, obesity is more prevalent among non-Hispanic Native Americans at 30.8 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 23.7 percent; and smoking is more prevalent among non-Hispanic Native Americans at 37.9 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 17.5 percent and Hispanics at 26.1 percent.

 

State Health Department Web Site: http://health.hss.state.ak.us