Wisconsin dropped two spots to No. 12
in the 2007 America’s Health Rankings report released Monday.

Reasons for the drop include high
amounts of binge drinking, an increase in violent crime and a
statewide increase in obesity. The report, authored by the United
Health Foundation, “measures the overall healthiness of states and
the nation using a … set of related health determinants and health
outcomes.”

According to the report, the health of
the country as a whole has declined between 2006 and 2007 due to
increasing rates of obesity and a growing number of children in
poverty — both of which ring true in Wisconsin as well.

Unlike the national trend, Wisconsin’s
health strengths include high immunization coverage of children, with
86.8 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving all required
shots, according to the report. The state is also ranked highly
because of high secondary school graduation rates and a high 91.2
percent of the population being covered by health insurance.

One of the central health problems in
Wisconsin, the report said, is obesity. In 2007, 26.6 percent of
Wisconsin residents were obese — a drastic increase from the 11.3
percent of the state’s population considered obese in 1990.

University of Wisconsin Nutritional
Sciences professor Dale Schoeller said the large increase in the
percentage of obese residents is worrisome.

“The average weight change of adults
in the U.S. since 1990 is about 20 pounds,” Schoeller said. “That
is enough to create that dramatic increase in the obesity and
overweight [categories].”

Schoeller added in 1990, many Wisconsin
residents were on the brink of being classified as obese, and by
gaining only a few additional pounds, were pushed into the category.

“The increase in obesity has been
seen in every demographic category,” Schoeller said.

The obesity epidemic plaguing Wisconsin
is being combated by the state. Schoeller cited the University
Prevention Group as one avenue the state is taking to address the
problem.

“The governor, several years ago,
also established the expert advisory committee to combat obesity,”
Schoeller said. “The state is one of the recipients of the Center
for Disease Control partnership.”

The Wisconsin Partnership for Activity
and Nutrition, a CDC partnership, creates relationships between
organizations throughout the state in hopes of developing programs to
increase the health of local populations.

“It’s to reverse the trends in
increasing Body Mass Index,” Schoeller said. “[They] develop
partnerships across a wide range of organizations … to increase
nutrition knowledge and physical activity across the state.”

Schoeller added college students may
become members of the obese category after graduating, as UW is
located on a large campus and students walk a lot on a daily basis,
often without realizing they are doing so.

“[Students] should be aware that when
they leave our campus they’re leaving behind a passive program of
physical activity,” Schoeller said. “They walk between classes
and walk for social events, so their risk of weight gain following
graduation is high.”

Vermont, Minnesota and Hawaii were on
the top of the list as the healthiest states, while Mississippi and
Louisiana are ranked as the unhealthiest.