BOSTON (WHDH) - The Bay State has been named the country’s healthiest state for another year, according to a new study from the Boston University School of Public Health and digital health company Sharecare.
Researchers in this study assessed the well-being of nearly 500,000 Americans in all 50 states last year across categories including physical, social, community, purpose and financial health. They also incorporated over 600 elements of social determinants of health, including health care and food access, housing and transportation and economic security.
Massachusetts maintained its spot at the top of the list, with Hawaii, New Jersey, Maryland and New York rounding out the top five spots on the list. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington and Utah also earned high marks.
The unhealthiest state, for a third year running, was Mississippi, though Alabama, Kentucky, West Virginia and Arkansas weren’t far behind.
All three of the healthies states– Massachusetts, Hawaii and New Jersey– achieved the best scores in the country on health care access. Nine of the top 10 states also earned high physical well-being scores.
The lowest-ranked states also shared common health challenges including community, or how much pride one has in where they’re from. Many of the lowest-ranked states also scored low for purpose well-being, meaning liking what one does and feeling motivated each day.
The study also looked at the impact of COVID-19 recovery on national health, and found that community and social bond scores increased as the vaccine rollout moved along. National financial wellbeing scores also increased as the economy stabilized in 2021.
Purpose wellbeing also shot up almost 6 points between 2019 and 2021. Researchers theorized that the pandemic spurred people to change jobs that better aligned with their personal and professional goals.
“This initial analysis of 2021 data from the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index adds nuance to our ongoing study of the well-being landscape in the U.S.,” said Dr. Kimberly Dukes, executive director of BUSPH’s Biostatistics & Epidemiology Data Analytics Center. “As a new phase of a once-in-a-century pandemic met unique economic forces, the data show that several domains of well-being trended in positive directions, and in one case ‘recovered’ to pre-pandemic levels. Data collected in 2022 will help us understand how community well-being fared as many pandemic-related restrictions were formally loosened and inflation continues to increase.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)