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Researchers estimate that the direct healthcare cost of obesity for the state of Arkansas is $880 million. If current obesity levels are maintained, in 10 years Arkansas could save $2,246 million off a projected $16,231 million healthcare bill. That’s $1,014 for every adult in the state.
 
 
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Arkansas (2009)
 
America’s Health Rankings™
Ranking:
Arkansas is 40th this year; it was 44th in 2008.

Strengths:
Strengths include a low prevalence of binge drinking at 11.5 percent of the population, a high rate of high school graduation with 80.4 percent of incoming ninth graders who graduate within four years and moderate geographic disparity within the state at 10.4 percent.

Challenges:
Challenges include a high prevalence of smoking at 22.3 percent of the population, a high prevalence of obesity at 29.5 percent of the population, a high occupational fatalities rate at 8.7 deaths per 100,000 workers, limited availability of primary care physicians with 98.5 primary care physicians per 100,000 population, a high premature death rate with 9,601 years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 population and a high rate of cancer deaths at 213.3 deaths per 100,000 population.

Significant Changes:
In the past year, the rate of preventable hospitalizations decreased from 92.7 to 90.2 discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees. In the past five years, the prevalence of obesity increased from 25.2 percent to 29.5 percent of the population. In the past five years, the rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease declined from 375.4 to 333.7 deaths per 100,000 population. In the past ten years, the prevalence of smoking decreased from 25.9 percent to 22.3 percent of the population.

Health Disparities:
In Arkansas, obesity is more prevalent among non-Hispanic blacks at 38.2 percent than Hispanics at 25.8 percent and non-Hispanic whites at 27.7 percent. The prevalence of diabetes also varies by race and ethnicity in the state; 10.9 percent of non-Hispanic blacks have diabetes compared to 5.5 percent of Hispanics and 8.8 percent of non-Hispanic whites. In addition, mortality rates vary considerably in Arkansas, with 1141.9 deaths per 100,000 population among blacks compared to Hispanics, who experience 326.9 deaths per 100,000 population.

State Health Department Web Site:         www.healthyarkansas.com

Download this state summary as a PDF file
Overall Rank : 
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New! Supplemental Measures
America’s Health Rankings™ have been expanded to include 15 more state-specific measures of health, from Daily Vegetable and Fruit intake to Incidence of High Blood Pressure and Diabetes. GO
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Arkansas - Core Measures
  2009 2008 No. 1
Behaviors Value Rank Value Rank State
High School Graduation (Percent of incoming ninth graders) 80.4 15 75.7 30 87.5
Prevalence of Obesity (Percent of population) 29.5 41 29.3 45 19.1
Prevalence of Smoking (Percent of population) 22.3 43 22.4 39 9.3
Prevalence of Binge Drinking (Percent of population) 11.5 7 11.4 7 9.0
Community & Environment          
Occupational Fatalities (Deaths per 100,000 workers) 8.7 46 9.6 45 3.1
Infectious Disease (Cases per 100,000 population) 15.1 29 16.0 31 2.4
Air Pollution (Micrograms of fine particles per cubic meter) 11.8 32 12.3 31 4.8
Children in Poverty (Percent of persons under age 18) 20.8 37 19.1 36 8.6
Violent Crime (Offenses per 100,000 population) 503 36 529 39 117
Public & Health Policies          
Lack of Health Insurance (Percent of population) 17.0 40 17.5 40 5.4
Immunization Coverage (Percent of children ages 19 to 35 months) 78.0 23 75.0 46 85.0
Public Health Funding (Dollars per person) $62 30 $72 25 $220
Clinical Care          
Prenatal Care (Percent of pregnant women) 63.4 41 62.7 42 86.1
Preventable Hospitalizations (Number per 1,000 Medicare enrollees) 90.2 44 92.7 43 29.3
Primary Care Physicians (Number per 100,000 population) 98.5 41 98.5 41 190.0
Health Outcomes          
Premature Death (Years lost per 100,000 population) 9601 47 9753 47 5595
Poor Physical Health Days (Days in the previous 30 days) 4.0 43 4.1 45 2.7
Infant Mortality (Deaths per 1,000 live births) 8.2 43 8.1 41 4.8
Poor Mental Health Days (Days in the previous 30 days) 3.4 28 3.6 36 2.2
Geographic Disparity (Relative standard deviation) 10.4 20 10.5 24 4.3
Cancer Deaths (Deaths per 100,000 population) 213.3 45 213.4 45 144.7
Cardiovascular Deaths (Deaths per 100,000 population) 333.7 44 340.0 43 212.6
 
Summation          
All Determinants -0.281 41 -0.316 43 0.827
All Outcomes -0.135 43 -0.148 44 0.348
Overall -0.416 40 -0.465 44 1.064

Arkansas - Supplemental Measures
  2009 2008 No. 1
Behaviors Value Rank Value Rank State
Cholesterol Check (Percent of adult population) 70.3 47 70.3 47 84.6
Recent Dental Visit (Percent of adult population) 63.5 45 60.2 48 80.2
Daily Vegetables and Fruit (Percent of population) 21.8 34 21.8 34 30.0
Physical Activity (Percent of adult population) 70.2 45 71.9 42 81.9
Chronic Disease          
Stroke (Percent of adult population) 3.4 43 3.1 38 1.8
High Cholesterol (Percent of adult population) 40.1 47 40.1 47 32.4
High Blood Pressure (Percent of adult population) 31.3 44 31.3 44 19.7
Heart Attack (Percent of adult population) 5.4 44 5.1 44 2.9
Cardiac Heart Disease (Percent of adult population) 6.0 49 5.5 47 2.7
Diabetes (Percent of adult population) 9.5 37 9.2 38 5.9
Economic          
Per Capita Personal Income (Dollars per person) $31266 47 $30177 47 $56248
Underemployment Rate (Percent) 10.2 27 9.5 43 5.7
Annual Unemployment Rate (Percent) 5.1 24 5.1 39 3.0
Median Household Income (Dollars per household) $39586 47 $42362 48 $66176
August 2009 Unemployment Rate (Percent) 7.1 12 5.1 21 4.3
Health Outcomes          
Health Status (Percent report fair or poor health) 19.3 45 20.1 45 10.7


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