Report paints picture of Wisconsin’s pre-COVID health realities

A recent report from United Health Foundation provides a clear picture of the health of Wisconsin and the nation at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the pandemic continues to unfold, many Americans are suffering from multiple chronic conditions and other significant health challenges. The 2020 Annual Report highlights pre-COVID public health realities and identifies where Wisconsin is doing well and where it faces challenges related to the health of individuals and communities across the state.

Here in Wisconsin, the 2020 Annual Report finds:

• High prevalence of excessive drinking;
• High premature death racial inequity;
• High residential segregation; and
• Low ranking on the report’s economic hardship index.

Key national findings, include:

• The percentage of adults 65 and over suffering from multiple chronic conditions improved 5% nationally between 2018 and 2019, but nearly 10% of American adults have multiple chronic conditions, which may make them immunocompromised.
• There has been promising progress on cardiovascular disease. Specifically, the prevalence of adults with this chronic condition has decreased 7% between 2018 and 2019, although it still affects nearly 21.2 million adults.
• Obesity rates increased 15% nationally (between 2011 and 2019) to an all-time high of 31.9%, affecting nearly 70.4 million adults.
• More American adults and adolescents received their recommended flu and HPV vaccinations — although rates remain far below the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2030 targets.
• The prevalence of frequent mental distress increased 11% nationally between 2018 and 2019, an increase of nearly 1.3 million adults.
• The suicide rate also increased 2% nationally between 2017 and 2018, continuing an upward trend.

The United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings report highlights 74 measures of population health, examining the impact that social, economic and environmental factors have on overall health. The report was developed in partnership with the American Public Health Association. This version of the report does not assign state rankings as it has in previous years.