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California Stays Mediocre In State Health Rankings

SACRAMENTO (CBS) — There may only be fifty states, but California could always say when it comes to America's healthiest, at least it was in the Top 25.

No longer.

KNX 1070's John Brooks reports

A new study says the people who live in Vermont are the healthiest, those in Mississippi rank as the unhealthiest, and Californians are somewhere in the middle.

The United Health Foundation gives the highest scores to states that have a low rate of obesity, a high number of doctors, a low rate of child poverty, and a high rate of people with health insurance.

California ranks 26th out of the 50 states, with some of the factors working against us including a high rate of under employment and a growing lack of health insurance .

One piece of encouraging data for Californians: we don't smoke nearly as much as the rest of the U.S., only about 13 per cent compared to 18 per cent nationally.


(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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