HONOLULU (AP) - Hawaii ranks fourth in a state-by-state health analysis.
United Health Foundation released its 2011 America's Health Rankings Tuesday, showing that Hawaii moved up from last year's ranking of fifth.
The rankings highlight Hawaii's health strengths as a low rate of uninsured population, high per capita public health funding and low rate of preventable hospitalizations.
The Aloha State's challenges include low immunization coverage, high prevalence of binge drinking and a low high school graduation rate.
The report notes that in Hawaii, obesity is more prevalent among non-Hispanic Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders at 56.8 percent than whites at 19.3 percent. In the past five years adult obesity increased from 19.7 percent to 23.1 percent. There are now 244,000 obese adults in Hawaii.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
