LIVE
North Dakotans enjoy an outstanding quality of life due to our safe communities, quality healthcare, world-class recreational activities and exceptional schools. Our people and our land are our greatest resources, and we continue to build on these strengths.
Overall Health
North Dakota ranks eigth in the United Health Foundation’s America’s Health: State Health Rankings 2007 report. North Dakota ranks first with the lowest violent crime rate and fewest infectious disease cases. In addition, the state ranks in the top 10 for its strong high school graduation rate, low cancer death rate and low premature death rate. The report also lists the state’s challenges, including high prevalence of obesity and predicts that "the overall healthiness of the state may decline over time" due to lower rates of indicators for what determines our health. The 2007 report is available on the United Health Foundation website: http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/shr.html
Child Health and Well-being
North Dakota ranks 9th out of 50 states in measures of child health and well-being according to the national 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Areas in which our state ranked well were lowest teenage high school dropout rate in the nation, decreases in low-birth weight babies, infant deaths, percentage of children in single-parent households, and number of children living in poverty. Read more about North Dakota’s rankings.
Clean Air
North Dakota is one of only a handful of states that meet all National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Monitoring levels of air pollution at various locations throughout the state consistently shows compliance with all national and state air quality standards. Learn more about North Dakota’s air quality programs.
Clean Water
Water, a precious resource, greatly influences our lives through its uses in public health, economic development, power production, agriculture, recreation, and business and industries. The health, comfort and quality of life for North Dakota’s citizens depend on an ample supply of safe, high-quality drinking water. Learn more about North Dakota’s water quality.
Healthy Communities
The North Dakota 5 + 5 Program celebrates ten years of existence in 2008. The 5 + 5 Program encourages increasing the intake of healthful foods (five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day) and physical activity (30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity five or more days of the week). There are seventeen 5 + 5 community coalitions working to reduce their residents’ chronic disease risks not only by promoting awareness, but also by helping to build skills and adapt community environment and policies to encourage lifestyle change. Seven communities reported policy changes in their service areas as a result of their activities in the year ending September 2007. For more information check out the 5 + 5 website found at http://www.health.state.nd.us/5plus5/
Health Challenges
While continuing to build on our strengths, we are also working to overcome the challenges North Dakotans face as a result of risky behaviors.
- 65% of North Dakotans have at least 2 risk factors for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and 22% of us have 3 CVD risk factors (CVD risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, overweight, inadequate physical activity, and inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables);
- The prevalence of obesity in ND doubled between 1990 and 2004 (increasing from 12% to 24%)
- 53% of adults don’t engage in adequate physical activity
Learn more about the diseases and risk factors that affect North Dakotans including influenza, smoking, diabetes, obesity, binge drinking, physical inactivity, arthritis and high blood pressure in the series, Healthy North Dakota Highlights.
Healthy North Dakota is working to prevent the risky behaviors that cause or increase chances of developing disease. This focus on wellness will:
- make us a healthier population
- lower our health care costs
- improve our quality of life
