In 2008, U.S. health is, frankly, about the same as 2007

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Vermont is the healthiest state (again). Louisiana has fallen a spot to earn the distinction as the unhealthiest state. And California moves up a notch to find itself almost exactly between the two.

So says America’s Health Rankings 2008.

The annual report from United Health Foundation, in collaboration with the American Public Health Assn. and Partnership for Prevention, uses health data from a variety of sources to paint a state-by-state portrait of the nation’s health and how that is changing. Or not.

California gets brownie points for its low rates of smoking, obesity, job fatalities, infant mortality, cancer deaths and preventable hospitalizations. (Note that ‘low’ is relative in such cases.) Here’s the Golden State’s profile.

It gets demerits for air pollution, a high percentage of uninsured people, infectious disease rates and geographic disparity, defined as differences in mortality rates among the counties.

Overall, the report’s introduction says, the nation’s health has held steady for four years in a row. Actually, it states that health ‘has not improved.’ But let’s take what solace we can find.

And did we mention California moved up a notch? To a bold 24 out of 50.

-- Tami Dennis