Louisiana Dethrones Mississippi As Unhealthiest State

Louisiana has displaced Mississippi as the unhealthiest U.S. state and other Southern states were close rivals due to high obesity and smoking rates in new rankings that deemed Vermont the healthiest.

The overall health of Americans remained static for a fourth year, according to an annual report issued on Wednesday assessing a series of measures also including binge drinking, health insurance coverage, air pollution, infectious disease rates, crime levels and immunization coverage.

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Comments

[marignymitch]

We're number 1! We're number 1!

[djgonebad]

What do you expect; anything less from the next NEO-CON presidential candidate. Anything different, in his state, would find him in disfavor from the RE-PUG'S higher -ups. But, you would think, after Katrina, they would at-least try and pretend that they're not trying to rid themselves of anyone that isn't one of THEM.

[ExpatDane]

Red states have the poorest health, lowest education and highest crime. Go figure.

[gracewithease]

And that is the GOP hopeful? The Governor of the unhealthiest state in the union?

Hahahahaha­haaaaaaaaa­aaaa!

[hortonhearsawho]

Change the bedsheets?

[stanschurman]

You have to wonder about the mental health of a state that would take the abuse it took from the Republican administration and then turn around and vote GOP again.

[JessWonderin]

Looks like Bobby is preparing to take over where Bush left off . . . . just the kind of leadership we need to positively place America forever into the Third World . . . .

Why do these Republican dominated states fail so miserably in education and health ratings?

[hortonhearsawho]

Cost effective.­..

[Wombat]

So what if Louisiana is the worst state. Boy wonder and the great minoity hope of of the GOP, Governor Jindal, only has to exorcise it.

[j.gold]

I wonder why this article doesn't even address the fact that Katrina ruined our hospitals (they still aren't fixed) and caused stress which enhances and/or cases numinous problems. We are short on doctors and many are depressed because of the state of things still. So all of y'all can blame on ignorance and being a Southern state but I blame it on levee failures, Bush's slow response (we are still waiting on these pumps you promised) and how good fried oyster poor boys taste!

[mater]

Jindal should go live for two weeks in the trailers and eat the food and try to have clean sheets and clothes and his kids should be with him and his wife and see how the deprivation and poor nutrition and terror of being in that vulnerable condition for three years must feel. He wanted to be Governor to make changes. That passion sure didn't last long. Now, on a much greater scale, he wants the nation he can fix huge problems, with his campaign in Iowa. Fix your own state, sir and when you look into your mirror in your clean, warm, dry, well-fed home, remember the promises you made a short time ago to the people of your state. You say your a Christian person--where's God in your disingenuous plan?

[brokenarrow]

Exactly...­.....espec­ially your last sentence, Mater. Jindal is an empty suit, with stars in his eyes......­the man is BAD MEDICINE.

[gracewithease]

He's a Catholic to boot- you know, that religion that excommunicated a priest for saying that he thought women should be ordained too...
yeah.

A sexist religion, a republican Governor and the sickest state in the union, what more could anyone ask for ?
The GOP is entertaining.

[gracewithease]

Tell it to your Republican Governor.
Ya'll elected a REPUBLICAN!?!?!?!?! after Katrina!

I lived in NOLA for years and loved it, but, I knew better than to travel the rest of the state, especially with my "mixed" kids. Now don't pretend you don't know what I mean. It was a relief to get away from the racism. Louisiana is a mostly white, mostly Christian, mostly Republican state, whose one little enclave is this nations richest city (as culture goes).
Goodness, I hope NOLA survives another Republican run down there.

[vstar]

Sometimes I just wish we had let the South secede like they wanted to.

[j.gold]

Sometimes I wish people weren't bigoted against a whole region of America.

[larry278]

Yes, it is a good wish, g gold; were Southern whites not disdainful of Yankees, but it is only a wish, not a fact.

[ArmyCentrist]

I still love my home (sniff) even though I got the hell outta there as fast as I could! I love my six 6 more...

[drumz]

Looks like the new rethuglican "look" ain't any different than the backwards principals they have always espoused.

[Topfeeder]

Bobby Jindal looks like an Indian version of Jimmy Carter.

[goodtomeetyou]

I see it.

[LadyMing]

He does!

[jesbillings]

he looks like the "what, me worry?" guy who used to be in Mad magazine.

[Anandas]

I lived in a place for awhile which was way down there on the list, tied with
Mississippi. The culture of the area is that they make fun of people who
were practicing healthy eating, yoga , or fitness. You were made to feel like
a misfit, or a weirdo, and actually insulted.
Such attitudes were so deeply embedded in the local
culture that obese people would say " I'm big" instead of "I am Fat".
And who would be surprised to learn, that it also was a poor, racist, KKK loving,
isolated and fear based place, with a long way to go to improve education.
I don't think it is so much depression and boredom, as simply a cultural
acceptance of laziness, and a childish giving away of power, and lack of
societal support to improve. The place was loaded with junk food outlets, too.

[cbpea]

This just lends more evidence to the research that says its not about access and individual behaviors. It is about racism, segregation and poverty. We need to stop trying to fix one disease at a time, and start dealing with the underlying causes.