7. Tennessee
Tennessee feel one spot on the list to rank as the 44th healthiest state. While the prevalence of smoking did fall slightly in the past five years, it’s falling at the slowest average rate of any state. The state is also experiencing a rapid annual increase in obesity rates.
Strengths: Low prevalence of excessive drinking; high percentage of high school graduation; small disparity in health status by educational attainment.
Challenges: High prevalence of smoking; high violent crime rate; high prevalence of frequent physical distress.
