The Rankings

Vermont

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Strengths:

• High rate of high school graduation
• Low incidence of infectious disease
• High use of early prenatal care
• Low violent crime rate

Challenges:

• High prevalence of binge drinking
• Moderate immunization coverage

Highlights:

• In the past year, the incidence of infectious disease decreased from 8.5 to 3.1 cases per 100,000 population.
• In the past five years, the percentage of children in poverty increased from 7.4 percent to 13.5 percent of persons under age 18.
• While smoking decreased from 21.5 percent to 15.4 percent of adults in the last ten years, 76,000 adults still smoke in Vermont.
• In the past ten years, obesity increased from 18.2 percent to 23.9 percent of adults, with 119,000 obese adults in the state.
• In the past ten years, diabetes increased from 4.4 percent to 6.8 percent of adults. Now 34,000 Vermont adults have diabetes.

Health Disparities:

In Vermont, smoking is more prevalent among Hispanics at 19.4 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 16.0 percent, however obesity is more prevalent among non-Hispanic whites at 23.6 percent than Hispanics at 20.8 percent.

State Health Department Web Site: www.healthvermont.gov