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Mississippi Value:
Percentage of women ages 18-44 who reported their health is very good or excellent
Mississippi Rank:
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Percentage of women ages 18-44 who reported their health is very good or excellent
US Value: 59.0%
Top State(s): South Dakota: 65.5%
Bottom State(s): Mississippi: 53.4%
Definition: Percentage of women ages 18-44 who reported their health is very good or excellent
Data Source and Years(s): CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2020-2021
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.
Self-reported health status is a measure of how individuals perceive their own health. It is a subjective measure of health-related quality of life that is not limited to specific health conditions or outcomes, but also factors in social support, ability and ease of functioning, and other socioeconomic, environmental and cultural components. This measure is used by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate large-scale progress toward achieving Healthy People 2030 objectives.
Research shows that those with “poor” self-reported health status have mortality risk double that of those with ”excellent” self-reported health status. The association between health status and mortality makes this measure a good predictor of future mortality rates.
According to America’s Health Rankings data, the prevalence of women ages 18-44 who report “very good” or “excellent“ health is higher among:
More years of schooling are associated with better self-reported health status. This may be due in part to the fact that those with higher education have fewer chronic conditions. Economic resources and jobs with healthier working conditions and benefits are also associated with better health status.
The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends implementing high-quality, center-based early childhood education programs in order to improve health. These programs can improve health, promote health equity and narrow the educational achievement gap, especially for children in low-income or racial and ethnic minority communities.
Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes are leading causes of death in the U.S., affecting 6 in 10 Americans. Many chronic diseases can be prevented by eating well, being physically active, avoiding tobacco and excessive drinking and getting regular health screenings. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has a webpage on strategies for healthy living that covers nutrition, physical activity, mental health and sexual health.
Benyamini, Yael. 2011. “Why Does Self-Rated Health Predict Mortality? An Update on Current Knowledge and a Research Agenda for Psychologists.” Psychology & Health 26 (11): 1407–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2011.621703.
Borgonovi, Francesca, and Artur Pokropek. 2016. “Education and Self-Reported Health: Evidence from 23 Countries on the Role of Years of Schooling, Cognitive Skills and Social Capital.” Edited by Joshua L. Rosenbloom. PLOS ONE 11 (2): e0149716. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0149716.
Cialani, Catia, and Reza Mortazavi. 2020. “The Effect of Objective Income and Perceived Economic Resources on Self-Rated Health.” International Journal for Equity in Health 19 (1): 196. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-020-01304-2.
DeSalvo, Karen B., Nicole Bloser, Kristi Reynolds, Jiang He, and Paul Muntner. 2006. “Mortality Prediction with a Single General Self-Rated Health Question.” Journal of General Internal Medicine 21 (3): 267. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2005.00291.x.
Lorem, Geir, Sarah Cook, David A. Leon, Nina Emaus, and Henrik Schirmer. 2020. “Self-Reported Health as a Predictor of Mortality: A Cohort Study of Its Relation to Other Health Measurements and Observation Time.” Scientific Reports 10 (December): 4886. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61603-0.
Lundborg, Petter. 2012. “The Health Returns to Schooling—What Can We Learn from Twins?” Journal of Population Economics 26 (2): 673–701. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-012-0429-5.
Ramon, Ismaila, Sajal K. Chattopadhyay, W. Steven Barnett, Robert A. Hahn, and The Community Preventive Services Task Force. 2018. “Early Childhood Education to Promote Health Equity: A Community Guide Economic Review.” Journal of Public Health Management and Practice 24 (1). https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000000557.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.