Nevada must demand health care reform - Las Vegas Sun
08.01.09
Yet another study is out on a key indicator of the quality of life and, once again, Nevada ranks near the bottom of U.S. states.
The United Health Foundation ranked states on a number of health indicators, including insurance coverage, graduation rates, air pollution levels, infectious disease rates, immunization rates and crime levels.
The result: Nevada dropped three spots to No. 42 overall in the 2008 America's Health Rankings.
One of the more discouraging aspects of the study linked Nevada's comparatively unhealthy population with the state's low high school graduation rate.
Education is a vital contributor to health because consumers must be able to learn about, create and maintain healthy lifestyles and understand and participate in their options for care. Additionally, the less schooling people have, the higher their levels of risky health behaviors such as smoking, being overweight or having a low level of physical activity. The more schooling people have, the more money they earn, enabling them to purchase medical care and health insurance.
Source: Las Vegas Sun, NV