Health Coverage and Care in the South: A Chartbook

Section 3: Health Status

While measures of health status vary by state, Southerners as a group are generally more likely than those in other regions to have a number of chronic illnesses and experience worse health outcomes. For example, most of the states with the highest rates of obesity and diabetes are in the South, and many southern states are among those with the highest infant mortality rates and cancer death rates in the country. As in other regions, health status within the South also varies by race and ethnicity, and Blacks in particular, are more likely than Whites to report having fair or poor health.

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Section 3: Health Status

exhibits

Share of individuals Reporting Fair or Poor Health Status, by Region, 2012
Share of Individuals in the South Reporting Fair or Poor Health Status, by Race/Ethnicity, 2012
Percent of Adults Who Have Ever Been Told by a Doctor that they Have Diabetes, by State, 2012
Percent of Adults Who are Overweight or Obese, 2012
Infant Mortality Rate, by State, 2011
Cancer Death Rate, by State, 2010
Section 2: The Southern Economy Section 4: Health Insurance Coverage

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