The Rankings

Colorado

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Strengths:

• Low levels of air pollution
• Lower prevalence of obesity than all other states
• Low prevalence of diabetes

Challenges:

• Low use of early prenatal care
• High geographic disparity within the state
• Low immunization coverage

Highlights:

• While Colorado has the lowest obesity rate in the U.S., 814,000 adults in Colorado are obese, an increase of 360,000 individuals in the past 10 years.
• In the past year, the rate of uninsured population decreased from 15.6 percent to 13.8 percent.
• In the past five years, smoking decreased from 19.8 percent to 16.0 percent of adults; however, 609,000 adults still smoke.
• In the past five years, diabetes increased from 4.8 percent to 6.0 percent of adults. There are now 228,000 adults with diabetes in the state.
• In the past ten years, the percentage of children in poverty increased from 10.9 percent to 18.5 percent of persons under age 18.

Health Disparities:

In Colorado, obesity is more prevalent among non-Hispanic blacks at 27.9 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 18.3 percent and Hispanics at 24.8 percent. Diabetes among non-Hispanic blacks at 10.3 percent is double the rate among non-Hispanic whites.

State Health Department Web Site: www.cdphe.state.co.us