HEADLINE: Report: Minnesota Is Healthiest State
BYLINE: PATRICK CONDON; Associated Press Writer
DATELINE: MINNEAPOLIS
BODY: Minnesota is the nation's healthiest state, while Louisiana is the
least healthy, a ranking it has held for 14 of the last 15 years of a
national survey, officials said.

The annual report sponsored by the United Health Foundation weighs such
factors as health insurance coverage, heart disease rates, total and infant
mortality rates, the rate of motor vehicle deaths, high school graduation
rates, childhood poverty, and public health spending.

"To rank well, you have to demonstrate success across the board," said Dr.
Reed Tuckson, an official with the St. Paul-based United Health Foundation.

Since the rankings began in 1990, Minnesota has finished first nine out of
15 times, and never sunk lower than No. 2. Last year, it tied for first with
New Hampshire.

This year New Hampshire came in second and Vermont third. Finishing at the
bottom were Tennessee, Mississippi and in last place, Louisiana.

The nation's health showed improvement in the 1990s, with better public
health spending and public education, and decreases in smoking,
cardiovascular deaths and violent crime. But there's been little improvement
nationwide since 2000 - primarily because of the spike in obesity rates,
Tucker said.

Since 1990, the number of obese adults has almost doubled, to 22 percent.

The United Health Foundation is a nonprofit foundation established by
UnitedHealth Group, the Minneapolis-based insurance company, to support
public health and the work of doctors and other health providers around the
country. The group undertakes the yearly study as a joint effort with the
American Public Health Association and the Partnership for Prevention.

Notice that Tennessee is ranked in the bottom three in Health. What's our
strategy? Oh Yes! Eliminate physical activity classes and health promotion
in schools - pay little attention to high school graduation rates, have a
high rate of poverty by keeping minimum wages low...With a little work we
could claw our way into last place.