The United Health Foundation recently issued its “America’s Health Rankings 2021 Annual Report.” The report includes new, publicly available data, examining 81 measures from 30 unique sources, and paints a complex and nuanced picture of America’s health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maryland did well across several key metrics, including:
- Smoking has decreased 14% between 2019-2020
- Air pollution is down 19% between 2015-2017 and 2018-2020
- Multiple chronic conditions decreased 17% between 2018 and 2020
- We’re also seeing a low prevalence of excessive drinking
- A low prevalence of frequent physical distress
- And a low prevalence of high-risk HIV behaviors
There are also some areas to improve on:
- The data also shows high racial disparity in high school graduation rates
- Suicide rates increased 19% between 2015-2019
- A high violent crime rate: Maryland ranks 40/50 in the nation
You can read the report here.
