Strengths:

• Low levels of air pollution
• Low prevalence of binge drinking
• Low rate of cardiovascular and cancer deaths

 

Challenges:

• High percentage of children in poverty
• High rate of uninsured population
• Limited access to early prenatal care

 

Highlights:

• In the past five years, diabetes increased from 7.3 percent to 8.5 percent of adults. There are now 173,000 adults with diabetes in the state.
• In the past five years, the violent crime rate declined from 646 to 589 offenses per 100,000 population.
• In the past ten years, obesity increased from 19.3 percent to 25.6 percent of adults; there are now 521,000 obese adults in the state.
• In the past ten years, smoking decreased from 23.6 percent to 18.5 percent of adults. However, 376,000 adults still smoke.
• In the past year, the rate of preventable hospitalizations decreased from 58.6 to 56.3 discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.

 

Disparities:

• In New Mexico, obesity is more prevalent among non-Hispanic American Indians at 37.0 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 20.8 percent and Hispanics at 30.7 percent. Diabetes also varies by race and ethnicity in the state; 12.9 percent of non-Hispanic blacks have diabetes compared to 10.2 percent of Hispanics, 9.7 percent of non-Hispanic American Indians and 6.6 percent of non-Hispanic whites.

 

State Health Department Web Site: www.health.state.nm.us