Albuquerque Journal

State's Health Ranking Up to 29th
Associated Press

SANTA FE — A new report ranks New Mexico as the 29th healthiest state in the country, up nine spots from the previous year.
    The report by the United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and the Partnership for Prevention said the incidence of infectious disease has declined in New Mexico over the past year by 22 percent and the percentage of children in poverty decreased, also by 22 percent.
    State Health Secretary Alfredo Vigil gave credit for the consistent decline in the infectious disease rate to diligence by the Epidemiology and Response Division in tracking and preventing the spread of infectious diseases and to the Public Health Division for work in preventing the spread of HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis A and B.
    The infectious disease rate dropped from 12.9 to 10.1 cases per 100,000 population in the past year. The percentage of children living in poverty decreased from 23.2 percent to 18.1 percent of children under age 18.
    New Mexico's infant mortality rate also declined, from 8.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 5.8 — a decrease of 34 percent.
    The report said New Mexico's strengths include strong public health funding at $132 per person, a low rate of cancer deaths and a low rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease.
    The state's challenges include high rates of people without medical insurance at 22.7 percent, a low high school graduation rate and a high rate of violent crime.
    Vigil said he's pleased with the state's improvements, but health officials must worker harder to prevent New Mexico's obesity rate from climbing higher. Obesity stands at 25.1 percent of the population, up from 9.8 percent in 1990.