Massachusetts Ranked Healthiest State for Women and Children

Photo via istock.com/Roland Magnusson

New England states have reason to celebrate today. In a new ranking of the healthiest states for women, infants, and children, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut came in at numbers one, two, three, and four, respectively.

Our top-four sweep comes courtesy of America’s Health Rankings’ “Health of Women and Children” report, which analyzed 60 measures of health for women, children, and infants nationwide. The categories were diverse, examining rates of obesity and chronic disease, household and environmental conditions, lifestyle choices, availability of health resources for mother and child, and more.

Massachusetts, we’re proud to say, placed first overall. (Mississippi came in last.) When broken down by age group, the Bay State placed first in maternal and child health, and seventh in infant health. We were praised for our low maternal, child, and infant mortality rates; low teen birth rate; low adult obesity rate; top-notch clinical care; and high percentage of adults and children with health insurance.

Of course, even in a healthy state like Massachusetts, there are bound to be some areas for improvement. We came dangerously near last—49th—in homeless family households per 10,000, and we were called out for our expensive infant child care. The report also says the Commonwealth has high rates of both excessive drinking and drinking during pregnancy.

Still, the Northeast should be pretty darn proud of taking the top four spots. After all, as the report notes, “the health of America’s women, infants, and children today will impact the future well-being of the United States for generations to come.” Seconded.

You can see the full report here.