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HLTH 509

Learning Activity Assignment 1

Virginia’s Health Rankings

Overview

Health Rankings are an important part of understanding the health of a population. As a public health practitioner, you cannot address the needs of a population without first knowing where they are health-wise. In this assignment, you will look, specifically, at the Health Rankings for the state of Virginia. This will help identify where Virginia is doing well and where the state needs to make improvements. This knowledge will help identify those areas where Virginia needs to focus its public health efforts. This assignment will provide a baseline for you for future learning activities in the course.

Instructions

Go to the America’s Health Rankings website and go to the EXPLORE link and select “Virginia” where it says, “Find your state”. View the full state report for Virginia. Examine the state’s health value and rank for each health Determinant and Outcome, as well as the combined rankings for these and for diabetes, obesity, and smoking. You can compare these for the years that the rankings have been published as well as contrast them with other states and the nation as a whole.

Note that Virginia’s overall health ranking has largely remained around the 19/20 rank. In general, this means that 30 states are worse and 19 states better in overall health ranking. Note also that unlike many states who have improved (or worsened) their health status, Virginia has maintained its rank close to 20 for the past decade or more. Why do you think that is? Select 5 Determinants that if improved, would likely lead to Virginia receiving a better health ranking in the future. Justify your answers in 400–500 words total.