Progress Tracker
How's Iowa Doing?
Together we are tracking and driving progress to improve the health of our state.
The process to benchmark the state is both complex and challenging. Healthiest State is focusing on the progress of the specific goals set within the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count!
Although both indexes measure some similar health components, the methodologies of each vary greatly and, subsequently, provide different results on state rankings. Because the definition of ‘health’ is very broad (e.g. physical, social, emotional, etc.), the Healthiest State Initiative desires to review and benchmark both indexes when evaluating the health of all Iowans.
Note: Due to limited data available on youth (under 18 years of age), the dashboard includes data specific to Iowans 18 years of age and older. As data on youth becomes available, it will be incorporated as appropriate.
Overall Rankings
Sharecare Community
Well-Being Index
2021
Iowa ranks 30 of 50 states for overall well-being.
The Sharecare Community Well-Being Index® brings together more than 600 proven health risks into a single measure. By combining both individual and social factors, the index uniquely measures well-being across people and places. In 2019, the Well-Being Index updated the methodology to include not only individual health factors (physical, community, purpose, social and financial) but also social factors (healthcare access, food access, resource access, economic security, housing and transportation). To learn more about the methodology of the Well-Being Index, you can visit this site.
America's Health Rankings
2021
2021 State Ranking not available*
* Out of the shared understanding that the whole country is facing significant and unprecedented health challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, America's Health Rankings has chosen not to include a state's overall ranking in this year's Annual Report.
America's Health Rankings® is another index ranking of states on health components found from various sources. This ranking is built upon the World Health Organization definition of health: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Individual measures found in America's Health Rankings are divided into five categories; a health outcomes category and four categories of health determinants: behaviors, community & environment, policy, and clinical care. To learn more about the methodology of this index, you can visit this site.
Key Indicators
The Healthiest State Initiative is following four key indicators: Obesity, Eat Well, Move More, and Feel Better. Click on the boxes below to learn more.