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Three criteria were considered when assigning weights to components.
1. What effect does a component have on overall health?
2. Is the effect measured solely by this component or is
it included in other components?
3. How reliable are the data supporting a component?
The final weights, presented in Table
12, are based on input
from experts in 1990 and 1991 and included in the methodology
review now underway.
The weights of the components total 100 percent. The column labeled “%
of Total” indicates the weight of each component in determining the overall
ranking. For example, prevalence of smoking is 10 percent of the America's
Health: State Health Rankings. The column labeled “Effect on Score” presents
how each component positively or negatively relates to the overall ranking.
For example, high prevalence of smoking has a negative effect on score and
will lower the ranking of a state. An increase in the percent of high school
graduates has a positive effect on score and will increase the overall ranking
of a state.
Table 12
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