4. Alabama
Alabama fell one spot on this year’s ranking, to 47th. In the past two years, drug deaths in the Cotton State increased 12 percent. Physical inactivity is also on the rise, growing 16 percent over the past year.
Strengths: Low prevalence of excessive drinking; high percentage of high school graduation; high Tdap immunization coverage among adolescents.
Challenges: High prevalence of smoking; high prevalence of low birthweight; high infant mortality rate.
