America's Health: State Health Rankings - 2004 Edition
Intro and Findings
  
Components
  
State Snapshots
  
Methodology
  
Commentaries and Special Features
Foreword and Introduction   Selection of Components   State by State Snapshots   Methodology   Letter from Director of The Centers for Disease Control
Measures of Success   Combined Measures:
 Risk Factors/Outcomes		   All State Summaries   Weighting of Components   The State of Infant Health: Is There Trouble Ahead
2004 Results    
Appendices
   The Obesity Epidemic: A Call to Action
Changes from 2003, 1990   Risk Factors    Occupational Fatalities   Index of Tables   Eliminating Health Disparities
Comparison to Other Nations   Outcomes    Health Disparity       Getting Involved: Your Responsibility

North Dakota

North Dakota is seventh this year; it was 12th in 2003. North Dakota has one of the lowest violent crime rates at 78 offenses per 100,000 population, lowest incidence of infectious disease at 2.3 cases per 100,000 population and lowest total mortality rate at 718.6 deaths per 100,000 population. It also ranks in the top 10 states for its high rate of high school graduation, a low number of limited activity days per month and a low rate of uninsured population. The state's challenges continue to include low access to adequate prenatal care with 74.4 percent of pregnant women receiving adequate prenatal care and a high occupational fatalities rate at 9.5 deaths per 100,000 workers. North Dakota is seventh for the combined measures of risk factors and 10th for the combined measures of outcomes, indicating that the state's relative healthiness will likely remain steady in the future. Health disparities within the state are a significant issue, as shown by the differences in access to adequate prenatal care and premature death rates - 77.5 percent of pregnant white women receive adequate prenatal care compared to 47.6 percent of pregnant American Indian women; and non-Hispanic white individuals experience 5,798 years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 population compared to 14,972 years lost for American Indian individuals.

In the past year, the percentage of children in poverty decreased from 19.5 percent to 12.7 percent of persons under age 18 and the infant mortality rate declined from 8.4 to 6.9 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Since 1990, the incidence of infectious disease has decreased from 11.1 to 2.3 cases per 100,000 population, the occupational fatalities rate has increased from 8.9 to 9.5 deaths per 100,000 workers and the infant mortality rate has declined from 8.6 to 6.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, a slower decline than other states.

To learn more about health and health initiatives in North Dakota, visit the North Dakota state department of health Web site at: www.health.state.nd.us/

North Dakota graph Download this state report as a PDF file 		 
Rankings
Measurement Data
2004
2003
1990
2004
2003
1990
Risk Factors - Personal Behaviors
      
14
12
7
 Prevalence of Smoking (Percent of population)
20.5
21.5
26.4
17
15
2
 Motor Vehicle Deaths (Deaths per 100,000,000 miles driven)
1.4
1.3
1.7
31
34
30
 Prevalence of Obesity (Percent of population)
23.7
23.4
12.1
2
2
1
 High School Graduation (Percent of incoming ninth graders)
83.7
84.0
88.4
Risk Factors - Community Environment
      
1
1
1
 Violent Crime (Offenses per 100,000 population)
78
80
57
9
14
13
 Lack of Health Insurance (Percent without health insurance)
10.9
10.9
9.1
1
1
3
 Infectious Disease (Cases per 100,000 population)
2.3
2.4
11.1
14
37
20
 Children in Poverty (percent of persons under age 18)
12.7
19.5
17.3
45
45
23
 Occupational Fatalities (Deaths per 100,000 workers)
9.5
8.8
8.9*
Risk Factors - Health Policies
      
13
18
-
 Percent of Health Dollars for Public Health (Percent of health exp.)
8.0
6.0
-
13
15
-
 Per Capita Public Health Spending ($ per person)
$80
$55
-
32
37
38
 Adequacy of Prenatal Care (Percent of pregnant women)
74.4
72.6
65.7
Outcomes
      
3
4
3
 Limited Activity Days (Days in last 30 days)
1.5
1.5
2.5*
20
14
8
 Cardiovascular Deaths (Deaths per 100,000 population)
310.2
311.8
359.5
11
8
6
 Cancer Deaths (Deaths per 100,000 population)
195.6
188.9
178.5
1
1
1
 Total Mortality (Deaths per 100,000 population)
718.6
722.0
714.8
25
41
4
 Infant Mortality (Deaths per 1,000 live births)
6.9
8.4
8.6
13
6
4
 Premature Death (Years lost per 100,000 population)
6,486
6,273
7,005
7
12
2
Overall
15.8
12.7
19.2

A dash (--) indicates data not available.
* Data sources and/or methdology may not be comparable for this year.