State Health Ranking, How Utah compares with Oklahoma in30 Health categories?

First of a six part series on the Marijuana initiative petition.

The Boy Scouts have a merit badge named Family Life. To earn the badge, age eleven to seventeen year old Scouts study their family. Each is asked to review healthy food and avoidance of substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, ‘’all of which negatively affect your health and well-being.’’

“The family is the basic unit of society and is important to both individuals and communities. The world is rapidly changing, making today’s society much more complex than ever before. As Scouts earn this merit badge, they will realize why it is important to know more about family life and how to strengthen their families. 2017 Boy Scout Requirements.                      Utah is among the most family friendly states. Utah used to be in competition with Oklahoma for some health categories.   From the 1960 US Census, Oklahoma ranked 3rd best in the nation for longest life expectancy for white women, and Utah ranked 6th.

An example of package warning.

Marlboro Lights Filter Cigarettes. There is no such thing as a safe cigarette, including this one. The terms ‘’Ultra Light,’’ ‘’Light,’’ ‘’Medium’’ and ‘’Mild’’ are used as descriptors of the strength of taste and flavor. These terms also serve as a relative indication of the average tar and nicotine yield per cigarette, as measured b a standard government test method. The tar and nicotine yield numbers are not meant to communicate the amount of tar or nicotine actually inhaled by any smoker, as individuals do not smoke like the machine used in the government test method.   The amount of tar and nicotine you inhale will be higher than the stated tar and nicotine yield numbers if, for example, you block ventilation holes, inhale more deeply, take more puffs or smoke more cigarettes. Similarly, if you make brands with descriptors such as ’Ultra Light,’’ ‘’Light,’’ ‘’Medium’’ and ‘’Mild’’, you may not inhale less tar and nicotine than you would from other brands. It depends on how you smoke.   You should not assume that cigarette brands using the descriptors like ’Ultra Light,’’ ‘’Light,’’ ‘’Medium’’ and ‘’Mild’’ are less harmful than full-flavor cigarette brands or that smoking such cigarettes brands will help you quit smoking.

Here are some of the most current rankings. Compilation of Data may lag a decade or more from compiling the data. The sources are the US Census, United Health Foundation America’s Health rankings., MADD, FBI, NHTSA, USA Today, Time, USNews, McKinsey & Company, Sutherland Institute and the American Conservative Union Foundation. Fodor, CNBC. Wall Street 24/7. Pollina Corporate Real Estate.

For the years from 2005 to 2018, Utah ranked, at least once among the states, as first or best, for longest life expectancy, low infant mortality. low Adult smoking, low youth smoking, low senior smoking, low diabetes, low cancer deaths from all causes, fewest high blood pressure, low chronic alcohol drinking, best behaviors (combined ranks of low drug deaths, excessive adult alcoholic drinking, High school graduation, obesity, inactivity, smoking) fewest children in poverty, best overall health, low hospital deaths of seniors, low hospital readmissions for seniors, fewest hospital readmissions, low drunken driving incidents (including DUI fatalities), low gambling addiction, most charitable donations, best tourist destination, highest volunteerism, highest family prosperity, youngest population, highest birth rate, best government credit rating, best government digitalization, best job growth, best employment, high Gini index, low prison overpopulation, and business (combined categories of workforce, cost of doing business, economy, infrastructure, quality of life, technology, innovation, business friendliness, cost of living, education and access to capital).

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

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