For the fourth consecutive year, Vermont earned the top health rating in the United States, according to the 2012 edition of "America’s Health Rankings."
Hawaii, which has never finished out of the top six since the rankings began in 1990, was second, followed by New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. Mississippi and Louisiana were tied for 49th as the least healthy states, with Arkansas, West Virginia, and South Carolina making up the rest of the bottom five.
The states that showed the greatest improvement since last year were Alaska (up seven places) and Oklahoma (up five slots). The states that fell the furthest in the rankings from 2011 were Michigan (down seven) and West Virginia (down six), according to the report.
"America’s Health Rankings" is published jointly by United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association, and the Partnership for Prevention. The private, not-for-profit United Health Foundation was founded in 1999 by UnitedHealth Group, which operates UnitedHealthcare.
