KENTUCKY
Ranking:
Kentucky is 43rd this year; it was 39th in
2006.
Strengths:
Strengths
include a low prevalence of binge drinking at 8.6 percent of the
population, a low violent crime rate at 263 offenses per 100,000
population and high immunization coverage with 83.8 percent of
children ages 19 to 35 months receiving complete immunizations.
Kentucky ranks higher for health determinants than for health
outcomes, indicating that overall healthiness should improve over
time.
Challenges:
Challenges include a high prevalence of smoking at 28.5 percent of
the population, a high rate of cancer deaths at 234.6 deaths per
100,000 population, many poor mental and physical health days per
month at 4.3 days and 5.2 days, respectively, in the previous 30
days and a high rate of preventable hospitalizations with 113.8
discharges per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.
Significant
Changes:
↑ In the past
year, the rate of uninsured population increased from 12.3 percent
to 15.6 percent.
↑ In the past
year, the percentage of children in poverty increased from 21.2
percent to 23.5 percent of persons under age 18.
↓ Since 1990, the
infant mortality rate decreased from 9.8 to 6.4 deaths per 1,000
live births.
↑ Since 1990, the
rate of cancer deaths increased from 213.0 to 234.6 deaths per
100,000 population.
Health
Disparities:
In Kentucky,
Other Races experience 63 percent less premature death than
whites. Residents in non-urban areas in Kentucky experience 35
percent more premature death than residents in the fringe counties
of large metropolitan areas.
State Health
Department Web Site:
www.chfs.ky.gov/
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