Health Outcomes

Health outcomes include both the length of life and the quality of life.  These six components measure the burden placed on the overall health of a population by both death and depressed quality of life.  Measures range from counting days in which people feel their normal activities are limited to disease-specific mortality and years of potential life lost.

Poor Mental Health Days is the average number of days in the previous 30 days that a person could not perform work or household tasks due to mental illness.  The data are collected by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and rely on the accuracy of each respondent’s estimate of the number of limited activity days lost in the previous 30 days.

Table 32 displays the 2006 ranks, based on 2005 data (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).  The number of poor mental health days in the previous 30 days ranges from an average of 2.4 days in North Dakota to 4.0 or more days in West Virginia, Kentucky and Mississippi.  The average number of poor mental health days in the previous 30 days for the United States is 2.7 days. 

Poor mental health days and poor physical health days replaced the prior measure called limited activity days.  They accent the fact that good health outcomes preclude days in which mental or physical health prohibits an individual from accomplishing everyday activities.

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Poor Physical Health Days is the average number of days in the previous 30 days that a person could not perform work or household tasks due to physical illness.  The data are collected by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and rely on the accuracy of each respondent’s estimate of the number of limited activity days lost in the previous 30 days. 

Table 33 displays the 2006 ranks, based on 2005 data (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).  The number of poor physical health days in the previous 30 days ranges from an average of 2.7 days in North Dakota and 2.9 days in Hawaii to 5.2 days in West Virginia.  The average number of poor mental health days in the previous 30 days for the United States is 3.0 days.   

Poor mental health days and poor physical health days replaced the prior measure called limited activity days.  They accent that good health outcomes preclude days in which mental or physical health prohibits an individual from accomplishing everyday activities.

Go to Poor Physical Health Days Page  

Infant Mortality represents many factors surrounding birth, including but not limited to: the health of the mother, prenatal care, quality of the health services delivered to the mother and child and infant care. In addition, high infant mortality rates are often considered preventable and thus can be influenced by various education and care programs.

Table 34 displays the 2006 ranks, based on a two-year average using 2004 and 2005 data. (National Center for Health Statistics, Washington, D.C.  Some data is provisional.)  Infant mortality varies greatly among states, from less than 5.0 deaths per 1,000 live births in Massachusetts and Utah to more than 9.0 deaths per 1,000 live births in Mississippi and Louisiana. The national average is 6.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, down slightly from 6.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in the 2005 Edition. 

Since the 2005 Edition, the infant mortality rate dropped by 0.5 deaths or more per 1,000 live births in Alaska and Arkansas.  Infant mortality increased by more than 0.5 deaths per 1,000 live births in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, South Carolina and Mississippi.  A year-to-year change in states with a small number of births is common.  All states have improved since 1990.  Alaska, Illinois, New York, Georgia, Montana and New Jersey have experienced the largest decreases in infant mortality rates, declining by 4.5 or more deaths per 1,000 live births.

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Cardiovascular Deaths is measured using a three-year average, age- and race-adjusted death rate due to heart disease, strokes and other cardiovascular disease. The effect of cardiovascular disease on health was measured using mortality data due to the improved accuracy of the data and the ability to adjust for age and race.   

The use of mortality data may not reflect the full impact of cardiovascular disease.  Data also do not reflect new procedures to treat heart disease and prolong the useful lives of patients. 

Table 35 displays the 2006 ranks, based on 2001 to 2003 data (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).  This component varies from a low of 230.9 deaths from cardiovascular disease per 100,000 population in Hawaii to over 400 deaths per 100,000 population in Oklahoma and Mississippi.  The national average is 326.0 deaths per 100,000 population, down from 332.9 deaths per 100,000 population last year and 406.3 deaths per 100,000 population in 1990.  

In the last year, the rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease decreased by 19.9 deaths per 100,000 population in Hawaii.  Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, Utah and West Virginia were the only states to experience an increase.   Since 1990, the rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease declined by more than 100 deaths per 100,000 population in 11 states and by more than 75 deaths per 100,000 population in another 19 states.  Oklahoma experienced the least improvement in the rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease, declining by only 7.9 deaths per 100,000 population.  In Mississippi, the rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease decreased by only 24.7 deaths per 100,000 population.

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Cancer Deaths is measured using a three-year average, age- and race-adjusted death rate due to cancer. The effect of cancer on health was measured using mortality data due to the improved accuracy of the data and the ability to adjust for age and race.   

Table 36 displays the 2006 ranks, based on 2001 to 2003 data (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).   The rate varies from less than 160 cancer deaths per 100,000 population in Utah and Hawaii to 220 or more deaths per 100,000 population in Kentucky, West Virginia and Louisiana.  The national average is 201.8 deaths per 100,000 population, a decrease of 1.8 deaths per 100,000 population from the 2005 Edition and an increase of 0.9 deaths per 100,000 population from the 1990 Edition.  Cancer deaths peaked in 1998 when the national rate was 211.7 deaths per 100,000 population. 

The rate of cancer deaths decreased by more than five deaths per 100,000 population in Alaska, Hawaii and New Hampshire since the 2005 Edition. Cancer deaths increased in 13 states with the greatest increase of 3.3 deaths per 100,000 population in Utah.   Since the 1990 Edition, it declined by more than 15 deaths per 100,000 population in Hawaii, New York and Maryland and increased by more than 20 deaths per 100,000 population in Kansas, Wyoming and Kentucky. 

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Premature Death measures the loss of years of productive life due to death before age 75 as defined by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL-75).  Thus, the death of a 25-year-old would account for 50 years of lost life, while the death of a 60-year-old would account for 15 years. 

Table 37 displays the 2006 ranks, based on 2003 data (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The age-adjusted data vary from less than 6,000 years lost per 100,000 population in Minnesota, Vermont and New Hampshire to more than 10,000 years lost per 100,000 population in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.  The national average is 7,562 years lost per 100,000 population, which is essentially equal to the 2005 Edition and 1,154 years less per 100,000 population than the 1990 Edition. 

Since the 2005 Edition, the greatest decrease, more than 400 years of potential life lost, was in Nebraska.  North and South Dakota show the greatest increase, with increases of over 400 years of potential life lost in the past year. 

Since the 1990 Edition, the years of potential life lost have decreased in 43 of the 50 states.  New York has shown the greatest decline, with a decrease of 3,227 years from 9,754 to 6,527 years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 population.  Oklahoma has experienced the greatest increase of 739 years from 8,551 to 9,290 years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 population.

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