The Rankings

Alabama

Get the full state report

Strengths:

• Low prevalence of binge drinking
• High per capita public health funding
• High immunization coverage

Challenges:

• High prevalence of smoking
• High prevalence of obesity
• High prevalence of diabetes

Ranking:

Alabama is 46th this year; it was 45th in 2010.

Highlights:

• Over 1.2 million people in Alabama are obese, 410,000 more than 10 years ago.
• Prevalence of diabetes has doubled in the last 10 years, with 481,000 people affected.
• In the past year, prevalence of binge drinking has decreased from 11.4 percent of the population to 10.4 percent.
• In the past year, public health funding has increased from $107 per person to $116 per person.
• In the past 10 years, the rate of uninsured population increased from 12.9 percent to 15.9 percent.
• Alabama ranks higher for determinants than for outcomes, indicating that overall healthiness may improve over time.

Health Disparities:

In Alabama, obesity is more prevalent among non-Hispanic blacks at 42.4 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 29.0 percent. The prevalence of diabetes also varies by race and ethnicity in the state; 15.3 percent of non-Hispanic blacks have diabetes compared to 10.9 percent of non-Hispanic whites.

State Health Department Web Site: www.adph.org