The greatest health strengths and challenges in Louisiana

The recently released “America’s Health Rankings 2022 Annual Report” uncovered several health strengths and challenges in Louisiana.

Jan. 4, 2023

Louisiana is ranked 50th in the country for overall health – a slight decline from a ranking of 49 in 2019¹– according to America’s Health Rankings 2022 Annual Report. Below is a summary of the positive and negative factors that contributed to this ranking.²

Louisiana health strengths

Low Black/white residential segregation
High prevalence of having a dedicated health care provider
High adolescent HPV vaccination rate
57% decrease in uninsured from 17.5% to 7.6% of the population between 2011 and 2021
21% decrease in food insecurity from 18.3% to 14.5% of households between 2014-2016 and 2019-2021

Louisiana health challenges

High premature death rate
High economic hardship index score
High prevalence of physical inactivity
50% increase in drug deaths from 27.5 to 41.2 deaths per 100,000 population between 2019 and 2020

What this means for employers

Employers who do business or have employees living in the state of Louisiana may want to consider programs or benefits that can help support their employee population and guide them to better health decisions.

Learn more about the factors impacting the health of Louisiana.

The real people behind these numbers are what make the work ahead so critically important. Despite the challenges ahead, I remain optimistic that the health system can rise to the moment to address long-standing disparities and improve the health and well-being of all Americans, for this generation and the next.

— Patricia L. Lewis, Chief Sustainability Officer at UnitedHealth Group

View the Louisiana state summary (pdf)

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