Strengths:

• Low prevalence of low birthweight
• Low prevalence of smoking
• Low rate of preventable hospitalizations

 

Challenges:

• Moderate geographic disparity within the state
• Low high school graduation rate
• Low immunization coverage

 

Highlights:

• Almost 1.4 million adults are obese in Washington and nearly 1.2 million live a sedentary lifestyle.
• In the past ten years, the percentage of children in poverty increased from 10.5 percent to 18.9 percent of persons under age 18; it was 16.1 percent last year.
• In the past year, the rate of uninsured population increased from 13.2 percent to 14.2 percent.
• The rate of preventable hospitalizations declined from 51.9 to 46.4 discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees in the past five years.
• Washington has one of the lowest smoking rates in the U.S. at 17.5 percent of the adult population; however, more than 900,000 adults still smoke.

 

Disparities:

• In Washington, smoking is more prevalent among non-Hispanic blacks at 20.7 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 14.9 percent and Hispanics at 11.7 percent; smoking is more prevalent among non-Hispanic blacks at 20.7 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 14.9 percent and Hispanics at 11.7 percent; and obesity is more prevalent among non-Hispanic blacks at 35.7 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 26.4 percent.

 

State Health Department Web Site: www.doh.wa.gov