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Nebraska among the healthiest states in the nation

A new report says Nebraska is the tenth healthiest state in the nation.

The United Health Foundation report is a broad picture of a state’s health, using medical, socioeconomic, environmental, and community factors. Data comes from the CDC, FBI, Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Education, and other organizations.

Jane Meza is senior associate dean of UNMC’s College of Public Health. She says Nebraska did well in several areas, including its high school graduation rate. Nebraska also fared well in the areas of childhood immunizations, rate of drug deaths, and number of children in poverty.

Meza says the report also points out areas that need improvement.

“Some of the areas we ranked lowest on were the percentage of adults with diabetes, and related to that would be obesity. Also, we have a relatively high rate of smoking, and we ranked lowest in binge drinking among adults.”

Iowa ranks 24th in the healthiest states report. The top three states are Hawaii, Vermont, and Massachusetts.