You'd think with all the dancing and parading that we do it would be enough to help keep our bodies in a little better shape. Maybe it's the stuff we do in between dances and parades that's causing the problem. We've done it again. We the people of the Louisiana are at the top of the bottom in another national survey.

According to the United Health Foundation and their annual America's Health Ranking list nobody is in more poor health than the citizens of Louisiana. We actually were ranked at 48 on last year's list so somebody must have missed a work out or ate an extra length of boudin.

You can't blame it all on the food, there are several factors that figure into our dubious distinction.

There's a high prevalence of smoking, a high prevalence of obesity, a high prevalence of physical inactivity, a low high school graduation rate.

Rhonda Randall of the United Health  Foundation explained to the Louisiana Radio Network those facts and a few other figures regarding our state's poor showing in this survey. One of the more alarming figures is how our state ranks dead last in children living in poverty.

Because we know that children who live in poverty are less likely to eat healthy fruits and vegetables, they're less likely to get their immunizations, they also may be less likely to finish high school.

Randall went on to explain that while the news was not good, it could get better. It will be a long uphill climb and it will take the efforts of individuals to make a positive change for our state.

That would go a long way, if a lot of people in Louisiana made that decision for themselves and encouraged their friends and family to do the same.

Obviously making lifestyle choices such as not smoking and exercising more would go a long way to improving our health standards in the state.

 

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