Nebraska has fallen in the most recent America’s Health Rankings survey.

According to the report:

* Ranking:
Nebraska is 16th this year; it was 9th in 2008.

* Strengths:
Strengths include a high rate of high school graduation with 87.0 percent of incoming ninth graders who graduate in four years, few poor mental and physical health days per month at 2.5 days and 2.7 days in the previous 30 days, respectively, low levels of air pollution at 8.0 micrograms of fine particulate per cubic meter and a low infant mortality rate at 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births.

* Challenges:
Challenges include a high prevalence of binge drinking at 18.6 percent of the population and low immunization coverage with 74.8 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving complete immunizations. Nebraska ranks lower for determinants than for health outcomes, indicating that overall healthiness may decline over time.

*Significant Changes:

In the past year, immunization coverage decreased from 85.2 percent to 74.8 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving complete immunizations.  In the past five years, the percentage of children in poverty increased from 11.0 percent to 16.2 percent of persons under age 18.  In the past ten years, the prevalence of smoking declined from 22.0 percent to 18.3 percent of the population.  Since 1990, the prevalence of obesity increased from 11.6 percent to 27.2 percent of the population.

* Health Disparities:
In Nebraska, obesity is more prevalent among non-Hispanic blacks at 37.0 percent than non-Hispanic whites at 26.6 percent. The prevalence of diabetes also varies by race and ethnicity in the state; 10.4 percent of non-Hispanic blacks have diabetes compared to 7.4 percent of non-Hispanic whites. In addition, mortality rates vary in Nebraska, with 1,016.2 deaths per 100,000 population among blacks compared to whites, who experience 752.1 deaths per 100,000 population.