Prevention Matters

The new report card that compares the health of U.S. counties was named the “Best Prevention Idea of the Week,” while a study showing that poorly fitting condoms contribute to improper use was named “Worst Prevention Idea of the Week.”

The “Best/Worst” awards are announced each week in “Prevention Matters,” the blog of Partnership for Prevention. Nominees are submitted by Partnership staff as well as the general public, and are voted on by the staff. Partnership for Prevention is a nonpartisan organization of business, nonprofit and government leaders who are working to make evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion a national priority. More information is available at http://www.prevent.org/.

BEST

New Report Card Compares Health of US Counties

A new report card allows you to compare the health status of any county in the country with that of another. "County Health Rankings: Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health," a health report card for almost every one of the nation's more than 3,000 counties, was released on Wednesday, February 17 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute.

WORST

Ill-Fitting Condoms Contribute To Improper Use, Study Finds

Men are more likely to remove a condom during sex or experience condom failures if they use a poorly fitting condom, according to a University of Kentucky study. Condoms that do not fit properly raise the risks of infection and pregnancy, as well as reduce pleasure for both partners, the study found.

The 20th Anniversary Edition of America’s Health Rankings notes a worrisome escalation in preventable diseases that will significantly increase costs in an already unaffordable medical care delivery system. Of the $2.4 trillion of annual health care expenditures in the United States, $1.8 trillion is associated with the treatment of chronic disease, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.


Obesity has increased nearly 130 percent since the first edition of America’s Health Rankings was issued 20 years ago. Currently, 27 percent of the population is obese. A supplemental analysis to this year’s report shows America now spends $80 billion in direct health care costs associated with obesity. Left unchecked, 43 percent of adults will be obese and obesity will add nearly $344 billion in 2018 alone to the nation’s annual direct health care costs, accounting for more than 21 percent of health care spending.


America’s Health Rankings  is an annual comprehensive assessment of the nation’s health on a state-by-state analysis. It is published jointly by United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention. The data in the report comes from validated outside sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report is reviewed and overseen by a Scientific Advisory Committee, with members from leading academic institutions, government agencies and the private sector.

The 2009 Anniversary Edition shows Vermont as the healthiest state this year, while Mississippi is ranked 50th. Over the past 20 years, New York has demonstrated the most improvement in the overall health of its population.

"America's Health Rankings" has been named a finalist for the Public Relations Society of America's Silver Anvil and Award of Excellence.

The annual report, which each year gives comparative rankings to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, is a joint project of Partnership for Prevention, United Health Foundation and the American Public Health Association, with the assistance of Fleischman-Hilliard public relations firm. It receives significant media attention each year when it is released, and helps call attention not only to the nation's health status but also to the ways health risk factors in each state.

The Silver Anvil awards are iconic of the best practices of the public relations industry. The winners will be announced June 4 at a celebration event in New York City. For more information on America's Health Rankings, read more here.