The United Health Foundation released its America’s Health Rankings Annual Report on Tuesday. For 28 years, the report has analyzed a comprehensive set of data on behaviors, community and environment, policy, clinical care and outcomes to provide a holistic view of the health of the nation and each state.
This year, Tennessee’s overall rank is 45, which is a one place drop from 2016. Here are a few key findings from Tennessee:
Drug deaths are on the rise. In the past five years, drug deaths have increased 27 percent in Tennessee, from 15.7 to 19.9 deaths per 1,000 population. The rate of drug deaths jumped 8.7 percent in the last year alone. The state ranks 39 percent in the nation for this measure.
Excessive drinking increased 29 percent since last year. The percentage of adults who reported binge drinking or chronic drinking increased from 11.2 percent of adults to 14.4 percent of adults. Still, Tennessee fairs better than the national average of 18.5 percent and ranks 6th in the nation for the measure.
Infant mortality rate improving. In the past seven years infant mortality decreased 16 percent from 8.2 to 6.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. The state ranks 38th in the nation for this measure.
Download the full report, with detailed information on each measure, at www.AmericasHealthRankings.org.