Strengths:

• Low prevalence of sedentary lifestyle
• Low prevalence of smoking
• Low rate of preventable hospitalizations

 

Challenges:

• High rate of uninsured population
• Limited availability of primary care physicians
• Low immunization coverage

 

Highlights:

• In the past five years, the percentage of children in poverty increased from 13.2 percent to 22.3 percent of persons under age 18.
• In the past five years, the rate of preventable hospitalizations decreased from 55.8 to 43.6 discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.
• In the past ten years, infant mortality declined from 7.1 to 5.7 deaths per 1,000 live births.
• Last year, the incidence of infectious disease was 5.7 cases per 100,000 population; this year it is 10.0 cases.
• While Idaho has one of the lowest smoking rates in the U.S., close to 200,000 adults smoke.

 

Disparities:

• In Idaho, obesity is more prevalent among non-Hispanic Native Americans at 31.7 percent than Hispanics at 14.2 percent and non-Hispanic whites at 15.9 percent; and smoking is more prevalent among non-Hispanic Native Americans at 40.3 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 25.3 percent and Hispanics at 33.3 percent.

 

State Health Department Web Site: www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov