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Vermont called healthiest state, Louisiana last

reuters.com — Louisiana has displaced Mississippi as the unhealthiest U.S. state and other Southern states were close rivals due to high obesity and smoking rates in new rankings that deemed Vermont the healthiest.

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  • mac888, on 12/04/2008, -27/+11Is anyone surprised that the most reliably republican states rank so poorly? Well, that said, if we wait long enough those folks will be buried with their gunz and cigarettes still clutched in their cold, dead, bible thumping hands. You betcha!
    • sockpuppets, on 12/04/2008, -2/+29I'm tired of the hate. Just stop.
    • vermonter73, on 12/04/2008, -4/+5Vermont actually has the least gun laws of any state. So I don't know what that has to do with it, other than your prejudices.
    • thpeyton, on 12/04/2008, -7/+4ruined it when you used "you betcha" bc/ that is obviously something that appeals to northern idiots, not fat, smoking southerners.
    • RiMac, on 12/04/2008, -3/+4A lot of those states are at the Gulf and along the Mississippi delta. They have inflated cancer rates because of all the pollution running off into the Mississippi.

      Think, speak.
      • ParkerGrove, on 12/04/2008, -6/+3I dont see how a river makes people fat disgusting obese cows.
      • cajungator2, on 12/04/2008, -3/+3Hey parker, just ask your mom. She knows all about escaping her cage and crapping in the river.
      • ParkerGrove, on 12/04/2008, -5/+2Whoa cajungator way to miss the point and personally attack me you undesirable bottomfeeding cousin ***** sister marrying having retard kids ignorant bible thumping illiterate john mccain voting ignorant *****. Leave the computer go to the bayou and jump in I hope you get sodomized by an alligator. Take your ignorant genes out of my ***** country die with your whole family.
    • rhinopig, on 12/04/2008, -2/+8The issue of republican vs democrat (and as some further down said, christian vs atheist) isn't a matter of north vs south, it's urban vs rural. The south and midwest have less urban centers and thus are more likely to vote republican. However if you look at almost any state (red or blue, north or south, healthy or unhealthy) the cities will be democratic and the countryside will be republican. Point being, yes we city dwelling southerners are sick of getting lumped together with our country bumpkin cousins.
      • ParkerGrove, on 12/04/2008, -4/+3Then move. The south is just a hot hell hole full of ignorant rednecks who would sooner ***** there cousin then go to school. The south is no longer relevant. Who wears cotton anymore anyways thats all the south is good for.
      • rhinopig, on 12/04/2008, -0/+2ParkerGrove, You completely missed my point, didn't you?
      • ParkerGrove, on 12/04/2008, -0/+0Not really I never claimed that that this was a north vs south or republican vs democrat. Its about how the south is full of ignorant rednecks.
      • Quaterni0n, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1Sorry, but Dallas is urban and it's pretty red-republican-christian.
      • rhinopig, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1@ParkerGrove, "Its about how the south is full of ignorant rednecks." By saying that you are implying that the north is not. My point was that infact both the north and south are full of ignorant rednecks that live in the country, and more open minded people in the cities. I don't need to move because I am happy in my liberal southern metropolitan area (memphis) which is not, as you claim, full of ignorant rednecks.

        @Quaterni0n, True, but I did say 'almost any state.' There are exceptions though (I'm sure there are liberal rural areas too.)
      • ParkerGrove, on 12/05/2008, -0/+0@Rhinopig- I will concede that southern florida is not redneck nor ignorant unless your talking your talking northern florida that place is scary as hell. But like upstate new york is pretty rural and you would be hard pressed to find a republican. Also were not thinking about the youth demographic either like small rural college towns will be liberal as opposed to small towns would be more conservative.
    • cranderton, on 12/05/2008, -0/+5As a louisiana resident, i have to say that not a single person who submitted the above comments understands exactly how people here live. when the article talks about poverty, it's not old veterans sleeping on a bus stop or begging for change outside of starbucks. Thousands of people here are born into it, with no way of getting out. alcohol tobacco and drug use begin at an early age because of the sense of hopelessness and impotency that these poorer people are taught since birth. when you grow up in a shack with nine siblings, an abusive mother, and a father who either died a long time ago or just dissappeared one way or another, it's easy to give in to substance abuse. Also, i'm not sure if any of you are aware of this, but two devastating hurricanes recently ravaged the region, left many homeless and jobless and help is... on its way? These people have absolutely no (legal) way to get money to pay for insurance, and because many depend on government handouts, they "vote" democratic. Sadly, most aren't even registered to vote. These unhealthy people aren't the gun-toting, cig burning republicans of the south, they are the byproduct of a history rife with racial and socio-economic conflict. it's always easy to blame people for their problems, and very hard to lend a hand.
      • ParkerGrove, on 12/05/2008, -0/+0How do hurricanes effect the obesity rate if anything they would lower it. All the things you described are created by people who inhabit the region. That was directed at the white residents not the african americans they are a special case because well there in the south and thats the not friendliest place for people of color.
  • jtdodge, on 12/04/2008, -12/+9And our tiny little Vermont flashes it's shapely non smoking body to the world! :)

    • sockpuppets, on 12/04/2008, -0/+18It's 69'ing with New Hampshire. Sluts.
      • thumperings, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1yea but it's New Hampshire whose head is on the bottom of that 69. NH will always be our bitch. :p
    • sonicomega, on 12/04/2008, -0/+2lemme see its *****!
    • FasterGun, on 12/04/2008, -0/+3Depends on what youre smoking.
  • brownsound00, on 12/04/2008, -0/+14Fried chicken
  • sirjimithy, on 12/04/2008, -0/+30Well yeah, Cajun food is about as far from healthy as you get. Not to mention this is where Popeye's started.

    -Louisiana resident
    • blynder, on 12/04/2008, -5/+14And that is why Louisiana will always be cooler then Vermont a.k.a Canada.
    • lsocoee, on 12/04/2008, -1/+10don't forget Raising Cane's. mmmmmm...
      • clinko, on 12/04/2008, -0/+3Cane's secret sauce: Ketchup, Mayo, Salt, Pepper. No Joke.
      • sirjimithy, on 12/04/2008, -0/+5Raising Cane's FTW!

        Gotta love a place that uses an amount of MSG just barely within legal limits. But I'll be damned if it isn't delicious!
      • paulvq, on 12/04/2008, -0/+3Also, a dash of Worcestershire sauce.
      • geauxtig3rs, on 12/04/2008, -1/+3I loves me some Canes. The only good thing to come out of Baton Rouge. Did you see Todd Graves on secret millionaire last night? He's one cool dude in person, my dad is a great friend of his.

        As a Louisianian, I'm not suprised about the rankings.
      • cajungator2, on 12/04/2008, -0/+3People in southern Louisiana have actually been making Cane's sauce before they named it Cane's sauce. For crab and crawfish boils we dip our crabs and crawfish in the same stuff. Somebody just found out that it tastes good with chicken too.
    • mxmj, on 12/04/2008, -1/+7"Popeye's chicken is ***** awesome!"
    • geauxtig3rs, on 12/04/2008, -1/+1Buried for referance to that horrible movie.
  • thpeyton, on 12/04/2008, -0/+22YES! I AM SO GLAD THAT LOUISIANA IS #1 IN SOMETHING!!! WE'RE #1! WE'RE #1!!!
    • sockpuppets, on 12/04/2008, -1/+12FEMA NEEDS TO DROP OFF A CASE OF CAPS LOCK KEYS.
    • rocknrollninja, on 12/04/2008, -0/+7SHREVEPORT!
    • rocknrollninja, on 12/04/2008, -0/+6CEDAR GROVE! FRIERSON! STONEWALL! MANSFIELD! KEITHVILLE!
      • cajungator2, on 12/04/2008, -0/+5NOT SO MUCH MANSFIELD BUT SURE THE HELL NOT NATCHITOCHES!
    • paulvq, on 12/04/2008, -0/+5NOLA!!!
    • juggaleaux, on 12/04/2008, -0/+5GONZALES!!

      (g-town, represent!)
    • willclarke, on 12/04/2008, -0/+5Mandeville!

      We're a ***** disgrace. As Walton & Johnson say, "eat less, move around more"
      • juggaleaux, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1Dugg for Walton & Johnson.

        Eat it every day.
    • cajungator2, on 12/04/2008, -1/+4HOUMA! We'll put a foot up Vermont's A$$ any day! Don't have to be healthy for that!
    • ScottMitchell, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1If I'm not mistaken, you're also #1 in illiteracy, public school dropouts, and spicy fried chicken.
      • rocknrollninja, on 12/05/2008, -0/+3CRAWFISH, ZWOLLE TAMALES, GUMBO!
    • gkiltz, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1Just shows you how much work lies ahead to re-build the health-care system. Louisiana sounds like a good place to start!
  • Skibum657, on 12/04/2008, -15/+8Don't forget that they're christian and therefore are the healthiest morally and spiritually.
    • CyberSteve, on 12/04/2008, -3/+6We aren't all Christian ya know...
    • Rikkochet, on 12/04/2008, -1/+2Spiritual health?
      I guess you have to make 'em up when you fail everywhere else...
    • CocoaPuffs23, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1If anything, I'd say we're the most open state concerning religion. Maybe even the least Christian state. But what do I know, I've only lived there for my entire life.
  • hamstergirl, on 12/04/2008, -0/+9Hmm, I figured Georgia would be last because of Paula Deen's cooking.
  • FasterGun, on 12/04/2008, -0/+7If you don't keep busy working in the winter you'll ***** freeze to death here.
    • altgeeky1, on 12/04/2008, -0/+5Vermont's not any worse than NH from what I can tell.

      I'd rather take another -15F degree hit and winter in MONTREAL, QC.
      They have a KICK-ASS subway and underground city.
      It's like something from a sci-fi movie once you think about the engineering involved...

      The mayors of Montreal have been pushing for high sped rail links to Vermont and New Hampshire for decades... here's hoping a new administration supports railway development!

      • FasterGun, on 12/04/2008, -0/+3High speed rail between Burlington and Quebec would be the greatest thing ever. It would pay for itself simply because of the UVM college kids who cant drink in the states.
      • Bamboolemur, on 12/04/2008, -0/+1Let's focus on getting a high speed rail link between trudeau airport and the downtown core/outlying areas first.
  • Grinty, on 12/04/2008, -1/+5Yea, all 12 people who actually live in Vermont are quite healthy. I for one am a fatty!
  • Modestexcuse, on 12/04/2008, -3/+12Did anyone else expect to see the actual list?

    http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-11-05-sta ...

  • thefish185, on 12/04/2008, -0/+5Is there anywhere we can find the complete list?
  • TheJimid, on 12/04/2008, -0/+6To think I thought those gumbo bread bowls from Acme Oyster House were flushing my arteries clean.
  • capseaslug, on 12/04/2008, -5/+4Craw Fish
    • cajungator2, on 12/04/2008, -0/+5No, its crawfish.
      • Junebug75, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1just seeing the word "crawfish" makes my mouth water!

        Suck the heads and eat the tails! YUM!!
  • cgibbo, on 12/04/2008, -1/+7Dey eat lots a boofays in Nawlins.
  • SkullScrew, on 12/04/2008, -0/+5Louisiana also has the best food in the country. As long as you don't pay too close attention to what you're eating.
  • depro9, on 12/04/2008, -9/+8Vermont is filled with educated socialists
    Louisiana is filled with uneducated republicans

    knowing is half the battle.
    • internalprime8, on 12/04/2008, -1/+5People seem to confuse Burlington with the rest of Vermont; it is still a pretty backwoods state we just happen to have a city with damn good ice cream and music, and vegan hippies.
    • Number23, on 12/04/2008, -12/+3Here are just some of the “highlights” of the Wilson Research Strategies poll of 1,000 voters whose demographic breakdown was an exact replica of the total voting population and whose results totally vindicate the controversial Zogby poll:

      35 % of McCain voters got 10 or more of 13 multiple choice questions correct.
      18% of Obama voters got 10 or more of 13 questions correct.
      McCain voters knew which party controls congress by a 63-27 margin.
      Obama voters got the “congressional control” question wrong by 43-41.
      Those that got “congressional control” correct voted 56-43 for McCain.
      Those that got “congressional control” wrong voted 65-35 for Obama.
      Those “exposed” to FOX News got “congressional control” correct 64-25 (+39)
      Those ‘exposed” to CNN got “Congressional control” correct 48-38 (+10)
      Those “exposed” to network news got “Congressional control” correct 48-39 (+9)
      Those “exposed” to print media got “Congressional control” correct 52-37 (+15)
      Those “exposed” to MSNBC got “Congressional control” correct 55-35 (+20)
      Those “exposed” to talk radio got “Congressional control” correct 61-29 (+32)
      Voters in the South had the best response rate on “Congressional control” (+22)
      Voters in the Northeast had the worst response rate on “Congressional control” (+9)
      Those “exposed” to FOX News voted 70-29 for McCain.
      Those “exposed” to CNN voted 63-37 for Obama.
      Those “exposed” to MSNBC voted 73-26 for Obama.
      Those “exposed” to network newscasts voted 62-37 for Obama.
      Those “exposed” to national newspapers voted 64-36 for Obama
      Those “exposed” to talk radio voted 61-38 for McCain.
      Those that could associate Bill Ayers’ name/story with Obama voted 52-48 for McCain.
      Those that knew Obama had made negative comments about “coal power plants” voted 76-24 for McCain.
      Those that knew Obama had his opponents knocked off the ballot in his first campaign voted 66-34 for McCain.
      McCain voters did poorly (only 42% correct) on the Keating question and, in general, the voters did universally worse on questions where the negative information was about their candidate.
      Women under 55 did worse than they might have by guessing on four of the thirteen questions yet 95% of them knew that Palin was the candidate with a pregnant teenage daughter. — Even 95% of those in this demographic group who didn’t know “Congressional control” got this question correct.
      Those “exposed” to MSNBC scored 90% correct on the three Palin questions (including an incredible 98% on the pregnant teenage daughter question), while those not exposed to MSNBC averaged 84% correct on those three questions.

      http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/12/03/jzieg ...

      • docod44, on 12/04/2008, -0/+5yeah but it's from Fox, the most biased news station there is. They periodically skewed debate poll results and overall information about the election. Remember the bitch who claimed a 6'4" black man carved a "B" in her face? Fox news said that if it was at all a hoax, then McCain should forget about the presidency. When it was found out to be a hoax, they tried to bury it and never talked about it. I don't trust anything that comes out of that ***** station.
      • altgeeky1, on 12/04/2008, -0/+4Who really cares about a privately-controlled news network run by a FOREIGNER who married a CHINESE SPY?

        Thanks for letting us know that more Republicans than Democrats will agree with that.

        Rhetorical posts like yours explain why Republicans need to "compensate" all the time by wearing extra-large flagpins, and shouting really loudly about how they're not gay. M'kay?




      • Number23, on 12/04/2008, -0/+2Ah, ad hominem, the last refuge of the dope.

        Go check this guy you tube vids. The plain fact is that Obama votes were (and are) substantially less knowable of the issues than McCain voters.

        Republicans have better mental health

        Fifty-eight percent of Republicans report having excellent mental health, compared to 43% of independents and 38% of Democrats. This relationship between party identification and reports of excellent mental health persists even within categories of income, age, gender, church attendance, and education.

        http://www.gallup.com/poll/102943/Republicans-Repo ...

        Oh and Republicans have better sex too
        Of those involved in a committed relationship, who is very satisfied with their relationship?
        Republicans — 87 percent; Democrats — 76 percent
        Who is very satisfied with their sex life?
        Republicans — 56 percent; Democrats — 47 percent

        http://www.parapundit.com/archives/002404.html

      • thumperings, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1Fox news = insta-idiot downmod.
    • docod44, on 12/04/2008, -0/+2yay hippies!!
    • cajungator2, on 12/04/2008, -2/+4Vermont might as well be Canadian. And as far as Louisiana being uneducated, I am in college, my brothers are in college, my friends are in college. Ever heard of LSU, Tulane, ULL?
      • depro9, on 12/04/2008, -2/+2Yeah I have heard of these schools. It's a shame most of the people who live in your state have not.
  • bleh19799791, on 12/04/2008, -0/+17RANK ORDER
    2008 RANK (1-50) STATE SCORE
    1 Vermont 24.8
    2 Hawaii 21.6
    3 New Hampshire 19.9
    4 Minnesota 18.8
    5 Utah 18.2
    6 Massachusetts 17.7
    7 Connecticut 17.5
    8 Idaho 16.1
    9 Maine 15.3
    10 Washington 14.9
    11 Rhode Island 14.0
    12 North Dakota 12.5
    13 Nebraska 12.0
    14 Wyoming 11.8
    15 Iowa 11.6
    16 Oregon 11.3
    17 Wisconsin 10.3
    18 New Jersey 9.8
    19 Colorado 9.7
    20 Virginia 9.0
    21 South Dakota 7.5
    22 Kansas 6.7
    23 Montana 6.5
    24 California 5.3
    25 New York 3.8
    26 Maryland 3.4
    27 Michigan 2.0
    27 Pennsylvania 2.0
    29 New Mexico 1.7
    30 Alaska 1.3
    31 Illinois 0.8
    32 Ohio 0.7
    33 Arizona 0.4
    34 Indiana -0.6
    35 Delaware -1.6
    36 North Carolina -3.2
    37 Kentucky -3.6
    38 Missouri -4.9
    39 West Virginia -5.0
    40 Alabama -7.0
    41 Georgia -7.8
    42 Nevada -7.9
    43 Arkansas -8.1
    43 Oklahoma -8.1
    45 Florida -8.9
    46 Texas -9.0
    47 Tennessee -9.7
    48 South Carolina -10.7
    49 Mississippi -15.0
    50 Louisiana -15.2

    • mescad, on 12/04/2008, -0/+4Hats off to Idaho and New Mexico for jumping 7 & 9 spots up the list since last year. Texas and South Carolina, on the other hand, with -9 and -7 spots respectively, were the worst.
    • Setherex, on 12/04/2008, -2/+3Mostly states in the north are at the top, probably becomes the cold slows down big corporations
  • docod44, on 12/04/2008, -12/+13I'm from a small town in New England and when I went down south for the first time a few years ago (to Florida), seeing obese people was like seeing foreigners for the first time: weird (and in this case disgusting). I even saw some fat kids pick up the scent of funnel cake from quite a distance away and get all excited. I mostly travel around Europe where not many people are fat, especially when I was living in Madrid in '04 - '05. Then again, all the fundie christians down there don't need to worry because their "god" and "faith" will protect them, or so my aunt from Wisconsin thinks. Go running or something. I do every day and I get a nice high from it!
    • cryptomystic, on 12/04/2008, -3/+4Why is everyone digging you down?

      I didn't realize that DIgg had such a large redneck population.
      • cajungator2, on 12/04/2008, -1/+5Hey, we aren't redneck. Its called Coonass! Get it right!
    • altgeeky1, on 12/04/2008, -3/+4You have it all wrong. Those people get heart attacks because God is angry at them - angry at them because YOU won't pray. Once they figure out you chocking their hearts... watch out!!
      • swik, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1Lot of factors for it, political affiliation and religion I don't think are significant factors.
        Nice coincidences.

        I'd guess it has more to do with poverty levels and the history of eating habits throughout the years. Traditional big Southern meals when most people are no longer working outside all day and actually can snack in between meals.

        What's the over/under of people making disparaging remarks about the South while being overweight themselves?

        ...I really need to lose 15-20lbs :(
    • Coolkid11, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1Interesting. I went up North and saw almost as many fatties up there as down here.
  • boardthis, on 12/04/2008, -0/+9a little ironic since the only thing i know that has come out of vermont is ben & jerry's
    • ievanssc, on 12/04/2008, -0/+2we also have cheese and maple syrup. and burton snowboards.

      ....but that's about it.
      • Bamboolemur, on 12/04/2008, -0/+1and beautiful green space and mountains and charming small towns and retail outlets. I visited southern Vermont once and found it charming. Went to see Jewel perform at the Riley rink or some such place.

        :)
      • boardthis, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1how could i forget maple syrup?

        "Sit down, Rando"
    • Yookji, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1Ben & Jerry's gives its professional taste testers free gym memberships. No joke, that's what they said when I went on the tour.
      • ScottMitchell, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1IIRC, they also give them two free pints of ice cream PER DAY.
  • cryptical33, on 12/04/2008, -6/+5http://www.americashealthrankings.org/2008/glance. ...

    http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/president ...

    sweet the red states are dying
  • ravamp3, on 12/04/2008, -12/+13I know I'm going to be dugg down, but
    Louisiana = Conservative = Anti Progress = FAT.
    Vermont = Not-so-conservative = Progressive = HEALTHY.

    Just saying...
    • docod44, on 12/04/2008, -3/+6pretty nice trend, isn't it?
    • paulvq, on 12/04/2008, -2/+5Or maybe it has something to do with the food that LA is known for.

      Nah, politics is the reason why Louisiana is the least healthiest.
      • Quaterni0n, on 12/05/2008, -1/+3I doubt it's politics, but if you take the blinders off, you'll see a trend:
        red states = fat slobs
        blue states = healthier people
      • SmilinChris, on 12/05/2008, -1/+0@ Quaterni0n

        You forgot to mention dumb rednecks too.
    • Coolkid11, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1It's called culture you ***** *****.
  • numberonegun, on 12/04/2008, -0/+2I used to live there. Great place for old people.
  • skintigh, on 12/04/2008, -3/+10Isn't it the weirdest coincidence how generally the blue states are always at the top of these lists, and all the red states are at the top of the lists of teen pregnancies, illiteracy, sickness, etc.? It's almost like God is testing their faith in Republican leadership. Keep the faith!
    • SteveMTyler, on 12/04/2008, -1/+5well, you can't comprehend gods plan. Maybe the liberal states are there to tempt them, just like the dinosaur bones.
  • mooseontheloose, on 12/04/2008, -7/+231 Illinois 0.8

    lol bang up job, Obama
  • cryptical33, on 12/04/2008, -6/+3http://www.americashealthrankings.org/2008/glance. ...

    http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/president ...

    sweet the red states are dying
    • paulvq, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1I'm glad you submitted the same comment twice so I could bury you twice.
  • fastguyrules, on 12/04/2008, -0/+2The Queen City Burlington is the healthiest in the country as well.
  • kookbutt, on 12/04/2008, -1/+6Because northern food is bland and tasteless.
  • RaDeus, on 12/04/2008, -2/+3isn't Vermont the cheese-state ?
    • XIIIGanon, on 12/04/2008, -0/+1no we're maple, California has aperently stolen the cheese title from us.
  • kookbutt, on 12/04/2008, -3/+3Healthiest states = whitest states
  • juggaleaux, on 12/04/2008, -1/+6I'm a Louisianian, I don't smoke, and I'm not overweight, you insensitive clod!
    • notmv80, on 12/04/2008, -0/+1But apparently you are a ICP fan...j/k. I am native born, but above the interstate. You know the one.
      • juggaleaux, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1actually not really that much, i just haven't gotten around to deleting my account and making a new one
      • notmv80, on 12/05/2008, -0/+0lol, yeh mine is supposed to be nomtv80.
  • altgeeky1, on 12/04/2008, -3/+3I mean no offense in general to red-staters, but there's a VERY strong correlation here with "blue" states at the top and "red states".

    Hopefully America gets onto universal healthcare in this decade. In an age of fast transport and quick spreading diseases, and the potential for biological-based WMDs... it's really really putting the country at risk to insist that healthcare not be a universal right the same as education, police, and fire protection.


    Competitive or hostile nations are counting on our hesitation, and they will see it as an opportunity.
  • ravamp3, on 12/04/2008, -2/+5@paulvq

    I'm not saying it has to do with politics, I said CONSERVATIVE AND LIBERAL. Not Republican and Democratic. It's not a political problem but a social problem. Just for the record, the least healthy states in a row, the bottom 10 are almost always Republican so there.
  • cajungator2, on 12/04/2008, -2/+10I am from probably as southern in Louisiana as you can get before stepping into the Gulf of Mexico. For all the haters here, I'll have you know that I attend a university with a major in industrial engineering. That puts down the uneducated rumor. Also, I eat fried fish and shrimp a lot. My family is in the seafood business. My blood pressure is normal. I have a 30'' waist so you know I'm not fat. Cholesterol is at a healthy level. I have perfect vision. I haven't been to the doctor in two years. I can run three miles with no problems. Also, I don't come from a state that nobody ever goes to. Next time you complain, remember where the best food in the nation comes from. LOUISIANA!!
    • scamper22, on 12/04/2008, -0/+1yeah, you see people in the 'fat states' aren't complaining about their fat.

    • Junebug75, on 12/05/2008, -0/+5Cajun food rocks!
    • thumperings, on 12/05/2008, -2/+1Cajun yea and you are a ***** child dumbass. Wait 10 years and measure that ***** again.
      • cajungator2, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1I just turned 21 in June of '08. Nice language by the way. I see that you are a child.
  • XIIIGanon, on 12/04/2008, -1/+3GO VERMONT...wait...since when do people know we exist.
  • denindallas, on 12/04/2008, -0/+7Geaux Louisiana and GEAUX TIGERS!!!!
  • Number23, on 12/04/2008, -1/+7I’m sure I’ll get buried, but it could have something with the % of African America in a given state. Southern states have larger AA populations and AA’s have much higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and some cancers.
    • franklymister, on 12/05/2008, -0/+3Or it could have something to do with rates of poverty, which contributes to health problems, or the rate of uninsured citizens, which also relates to health problems due to lack of proper access to health care.

      Correlation != causation
  • nickcommie, on 12/04/2008, -3/+4The state smart enough to elect a Democratic Socialist to Senate is also the healthiest. Go figure.
  • Ryanw430, on 12/04/2008, -3/+3This is why I'm against national health care. Why should a rich person in a healthy state have to give money to a poor person in an unhealthy state when the poor person's state voted against national health care in the first place? Please explain Obama supporters. BTW, look at the obesity index of OECD countries. The U.S. has like 30% of our population as obese (the second worse country is Mexico at 23%--whose immigrants also come to the U.S.) while Switzerland and Japan have about 5% of their population as obese--something Michael Moore forgot to mention in between his doughnut sessions in Cuba. Before you try and solve a problem perhaps you should ask WHY the problem exists.
    • franklymister, on 12/04/2008, -1/+4How ironic, then, that the healthiest states are the liberal strongholds that believe in universal health care.

      Since I'm an Obama supporter, I believe it's appropriate to explain this to you.
      We believe that America is one nation - not a collection of warring red and blue tribes. We believe that in order to be a strong nation, we must face our problems together as one country.

      I guess you could say that we want to see everyone have an equal opportunity to health care because we love America, no matter which part of America you're talking about.
      • Ryanw430, on 12/05/2008, -1/+1It is ironic. But America is not one nation. We're a collection of cultures and economies, all of which are different. Every state is different, and every city and county are different. What is more, every person is unique and special. I'm not your comrade. Look at federal minimum wage laws--the federal minimum wage won't buy much in San Francisco: the federal minimum wage has a completely different impact in San Francisco than it does in, say, Hooter'sville, Alabama. What your so-called aid does is force people out of jobs in poor economies, which rich northerners have a hard time understanding, and your aid is going to create an even larger population of idiots and miscreants in those states where babies are dying for a reason (neglectful parents). In the meantime your beloved government will destroy itself in the ultimate Malthusian scenario--as your minority population explodes, crime rates will go up, the demand for health care will go up even higher, and your government debt will soon be completely worthless. It's coming a lot sooner than you think. We (libertarians) had to put up with the neoconservatives' crap for eight years--no one questioned anything--now we have the neosocialists in office--and once again no one will question anything. But soon enough people will realize what's coming. It's only a matter of time, and boy oh boy does the invisible hand leave a mark.
  • brown2hm, on 12/04/2008, -0/+5I'm from the south, but am living in VT while in grad school and I swear I have the least healthy diet of everyone here. I can't tell you how often I go out some kind of potluck and most of the food is so healthy that I don't really want any. On the hand, I usually have the most popular dish due to the fact that I definitely don't cook healthy.

    Vermonters actually love the unhealthy food, they just don't know how to make it.
  • DrHoliday, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1Other than Hawaii, the list seems to support the general trend that seems to hold true across the world: The colder it is, the healthier the people are.
  • heaintheavy, on 12/05/2008, -1/+3As someone who recently moved to Vermont, I can tell you this list is a bunch of malarkey.
  • GlryX, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1A new one of these comes out every 2 months naming a different state everytime... its seeming more and more like a penis contest
  • SandyJames318, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1I'm glad to see that Colorado ranked lowest in obesity. I've lived here 12 years now, and don't see the obese population that I see when I head south. I come from Massachusetts and there's plenty of obese Americans there. Vermont is a beautiful state where people grow a lot of their own crops. Fresh food, fresh seafood, and fresh mountain air adds up!
  • Truson, on 12/05/2008, -0/+2The United States trails many other industrialized nations in infant mortality, life expectancy, mortality for treatable conditions and overall health care system performance. Why?

  • bbkingadrock, on 12/05/2008, -1/+1I lived in Louisiana for a bit last year, down near bayou country. I was talking to a youth (~17), and he asked me for a cigarette. When I told him I didn't smoke, he said "I've never met anyone who didn't smoke." Honestly.
    • juggaleaux, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1weird. i live near baton rouge and know WAY more people that don't smoke than do.
  • highorbit, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1Interesting how all the unhealthy states with lots of obesity are Republican, and the healthy states with low rates of smoking and obesity are Democrat. Why is that?
  • FreddieD, on 12/05/2008, -1/+3Holy crap... the bottom 10 is almost exclusively the states of SEC teams: Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nevada and Georgia.

    That must be why SEC football teams are known for their tough defenses, because nobody can get around the lineman's fat asses!
  • CRAIGHTON, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1A month ago it was WEST VIRGINA, can't they make up there minds???
  • GeauxLSU, on 12/05/2008, -0/+2Louisiana also has state sponsored public heath care system....charity hospital system. It is a prime (much like Walter Reed) example of Govt run heath systems in the US…..Horrible!

    Louisiana is also proof that high caloric/high fat food should be taxed higher in this country. The stuff is just as dangerous as smoking and the resulting revenue could be used to supplement our health care cost. You want to eat that stuff…you should help pay for the resulting heath care costs. Same should be done with a gas tax supplementing renewable fuels and efficient transport!
    • juggaleaux, on 12/05/2008, -0/+1Earl K. Long hospital is a ***** nightmare. Never go there. EVER.
  •  

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