Rhode Island

Rhode Island is 14^th this year; it was 13^th in 2003. Its strengths are high access to adequate prenatal care with 85.8 percent of pregnant women receiving adequate prenatal care, a low rate of uninsured population at 10.2 percent and a low prevalence of obesity at 18.4 percent of the population. Challenges include a high number of limited activity days per month at 2.3 days in the previous 30 days, a high rate of cancer deaths at 207.5 deaths per 100,000 population and a high percentage of children in poverty at 17.1 percent of persons under age 18. Although both prenatal care and premature death rates indicate some health disparities within the state, the amount is less than in most other states.  Rhode Island is 12^th for the combined measures of risk factors, higher than its 18^th for the combined measures of outcomes. This indicates that the state, with continued emphasis on reducing risk factors, may improve its relative healthiness in the future.

In the past year, the infant mortality rate decreased from 6.5 to 5.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, per capita public health spending increased from $62 to $72 per person and the percentage of children in poverty increased from 11.0 percent to 17.1 percent of persons under age 18.

Since 1990, the prevalence of smoking has declined from 34.4 percent to 22.4 percent of the population, the prevalence of obesity has increased from 11.1 percent to 18.4 percent of the population and the total mortality rate has declined from 873.0 to 819.3 deaths per 100,000 population.

To learn more about health and health initiatives in Rhode Island, visit the Rhode Island state department of health Web site at: www.health.state.ri.us/

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