DENVER (KDVR) — For how much Coloradans drink, they sure are a healthy lot.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released dashboard data this week of its Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a range of health and wellness metrics for U.S. states and territories in 2021. The idea is to assess the public’s health in as many arenas as possible. Items encompass income, education, marriage status, disease prevalence, alcohol and tobacco use, exercise regularity, nutrition and obesity rates.
Colorado has long been ranked one of the healthiest of U.S. states, with a pool of active residents and a fitness-friendly culture that prizes both gym time and outdoor recreation. Tobacco use is low, and income and education levels are high.
While the state’s residents rank high for alcohol consumption, Coloradans are nearly dead last in the prevalence of various life-threatening illnesses.
The Centennial State has the nation’s lowest rate of heart disease among U.S. states. Only 4.1% of the state’s residents reported having coronary heart disease or myocardial infarction. Only the District of Columbia’s rate is lower.
Colorado ranks dead last for the share of adults with diabetes. Only 7% reported this in 2021.
Non-skin type cancer rates are higher than diabetes or heart disease, but still among the nation’s lowest. About 6.4% of Colorado’s adults report having the disease, the nation’s ninth-lowest rate.