How healthy is living in Texas?
Texas fell nine spots – from 37th in 2007 to 46th – in the 2008 ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation. The good news: • The state’s top ranking (15th) was in the category measuring the number of deaths due to all causes of cancer. • The state’s infant mortality rate has improved since 1990, dropping from 9.3 to 6.5 deaths per 1,000 live births. • The infant mortality rate is also on the decline since 1990, falling 47 percent – from 10.7 to 5.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. The bad news: • Texas was dead last of the 50 states when it came to health insurance coverage, with 24.9 percent of the state’s population lacking the insurance. • Just one state – Mississippi – had a lower ranking when it came to children in poverty. One-fourth of Texas kids were identified as living in a household classified as being below the poverty threshold. That’s up from 22.6 percent in 1990. • The prevalence of smoking increased slightly from 2007, while obesity continued a steady
