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

Vermont

Vermont is third this year; it was fourth in 2003. Strengths include a low rate of motor vehicle deaths at 0.7 deaths per 100,000,000 miles driven, a low violent crime rate at 107 offenses per 100,000 population and a low infant mortality rate at 4.3 deaths per 1,000 live births. Vermont also ranks in the top 10 states for a low prevalence of smoking, a low prevalence of obesity, a high rate of high school graduation, a low rate of uninsured population, a low incidence of infectious disease, a low percentage of children in poverty, high access to adequate prenatal care, a low total mortality rate and a low premature death rate. Challenges include a higher than average rate of cancer deaths at 207.3 deaths per 100,000 population. There are some health disparities within the state, as only 73.7 percent of pregnant black women receive adequate prenatal care compared to 85.9 percent of pregnant white women. Vermont is third for the combined measures of risk factors and fifth for the combined measures of outcomes, indicating it will likely remain among the relatively healthy states in the future.

In the past year, the rate of uninsured population decreased from 10.7 to 9.5 percent, the percentage of children in poverty declined from 12.2 percent to 10.9 percent of persons under age 18 and per capita public health spending increased from $44 to $60 per person. The rate of cancer deaths increased from 200.4 to 207.3 deaths per 100,000 population.

Since 1990, access to adequate prenatal care has increased from 62.6 percent to 85.8 percent of pregnant women receiving adequate prenatal care, the prevalence of smoking has declined from 30.7 percent to 19.5 percent of the population, the total mortality rate has declined from 889.2 to 775.9 deaths per 100,000 population and the premature death rate has declined from 7,842 to 6,130 years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 population.

To learn more about health and health initiatives in Vermont, visit the Vermont state department of health Web site at: www.healthyvermonters.info/

Vermont graph Download this state report as a PDF file 		 
Rankings
Measurement Data
2004
2003
1990
2004
2003
1990
Risk Factors - Personal Behaviors
      
9
9
31
 Prevalence of Smoking (Percent of population)
19.5
21.1
30.7
1
1
26
 Motor Vehicle Deaths (Deaths per 100,000,000 miles driven)
0.7
0.8
2.4
7
9
13
 Prevalence of Obesity (Percent of population)
19.6
18.9
10.7
8
9
10
 High School Graduation (Percent of incoming ninth graders)
78.6
77.7
82.7
Risk Factors - Community Environment
      
1
1
1
 Violent Crime (Offenses per 100,000 population)
107
105
137
2
12
20
 Lack of Health Insurance (Percent without health insurance)
9.5
10.7
10.7
10
10
13
 Infectious Disease (Cases per 100,000 population)
8.0
8.8
20.3
5
17
16
 Children in Poverty (percent of persons under age 18)
10.9
12.2
15.9
22
27
17
 Occupational Fatalities (Deaths per 100,000 workers)
5.1
5.7
8.7*
Risk Factors - Health Policies
      
23
30
-
 Percent of Health Dollars for Public Health (Percent of health exp.)
5.1
4.5
-
23
26
-
 Per Capita Public Health Spending ($ per person)
$60
$44
-
2
6
44
 Adequacy of Prenatal Care (Percent of pregnant women)
85.8
83.8
62.6
Outcomes
      
14
16
28
 Limited Activity Days (Days in last 30 days)
1.9
1.8
4.1*
18
16
28
 Cardiovascular Deaths (Deaths per 100,000 population)
309.0
313.3
409.1
30
18
38
 Cancer Deaths (Deaths per 100,000 population)
207.3
200.4
209.2
5
9
26
 Total Mortality (Deaths per 100,000 population)
775.9
801.4
889.2
1
9
14
 Infant Mortality (Deaths per 1,000 live births)
4.3
5.8
9.2
5
5
18
 Premature Death (Years lost per 100,000 population)
6,130
6,258
7,842
3
4
16
Overall
22.8
19.2
8.6

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