Connecticut ranks third in survey of healthiest states

Connecticut residents have new reason to inhale and exhale with confidence: the state ranked third in the United Health Foundation”™s 27th America”™s Health Rankings Annual Report of the healthiest states, with only Hawaii and Massachusetts placing higher in the wellness ratings. New York trailed in 13th place.

Connecticut”™s ranking was an improvement from the 2015 report, when the state placed sixth. Within specific categories, Connecticut placed fourth for its focus on women and children”™s health issues, fifth in the number of dentists per state, ninth for addressing senior health concerns and thirty-third for excessive drinking levels. But that”™s not say Nutmeg State residents should raise a whey protein shake in smug celebration: Connecticut also placed third for smoking, ninth for obesity, 11th for chlamydia and 16th for physical inactivity.

“We have made important strides across the country against public health challenges; however, we are at a crossroads between a healthier future as a nation and a future in which troubling public health measurements become increasingly common,” said Reed Tuckson, external senior medical adviser to United Health Foundation.