2013 Health Rankings Show What's Ailing Maryland

Maryland fell four places in United Health Foundation’s annual state health ranking report, says theBaltimore Business Journal.

Maryland ranked 24th among all states for health, down from 20th last year in America’s Health Rankings. The report attributed the slide to a high rate of violent crime, high prevalence of low birth weight and high infant mortality rates, the Business Journal says.

The rankings evaluate states for health indicators and outcomes, such as smoking, violent crime, diabetes and premature death, the Journal says. Hawaii topped this year’s list, while Mississippi ranked 50th.

It wasn’t all bad news for Maryland, the report said. The state came in fifth for smoking prevalence, with a 16.2 percent smoking rate. That’s down from a 19 percent smoking rate among adults in 2012.

Factors ailing Maryland include a high rate of violent crime, air pollution, a high infant mortality rate, and an increasing number of diabetes patients.