The country's obesity rate reached its highest-ever level in 2018, a report from the United Health Foundation found.
The annual America's Health Rankings report assesses the country's health state by state. To determine the overall health rankings, the report analyzed a set of behaviors, community and environmental conditions, policies, clinical care and outcomes data. The report examines 35 core measures in these categories.
The obesity rate exceeded 30 percent of the adult population for the first time in the 29 years the United Health Foundation's analysis has been conducted, up 5 percent in the last year (from 29.9 percent to 31.3 percent).
The report also found an increase in drug deaths, suicides and cardiovascular disease deaths is contributing to an increase in premature death. Premature deaths increased 3 percent in the last year (from 7,214 to 7,432 years lost before age 75 per 100,000 people).
"While the country's ability to address treatment of chronic conditions may improve with increasing numbers of key health providers, interventions and policies at the individual, community, state and national levels are needed to curb these troubling trends," the report authors wrote.