Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General Report Card Questions
- Why does the Foundation issue the Colorado Health Report Card?
- Who compiles the data for the Report Card and what sources are used?
- What’s new in the 2008 Colorado Health Report Card?
- How did the grades for each life stage change in 2008?
- How were the grades determined for each life stage?
- How can these grades be improved?
Obesity Report Questions
- Why did the Foundation issue a special report on obesity this year?
- Colorado has much lower rates of obesity than other states. Why is The Colorado Health Foundation focusing on this issue?
- What are health disparities?
- Why is obesity more common in low-income populations?
- What can be done to address the obesity issue?
Q. Why does the Foundation issue the Colorado Health Report Card?
A. The Colorado Health Report Card provides a benchmark for measuring progress on some of the state’s most pressing health issues. In order to realize our vision that Colorado will become the healthiest state in the nation, we need a tool to determine how healthy we are, how we compare with other states and what needs to be done to make us healthier. The Report Card is published every two years. In alternate years, report card data and supporting materials are updated online and an in-depth analysis of a key health indicator is published. This year’s special report is Income, Education and Obesity: A Closer Look at Inequities in Colorado’s Obesity Problem.
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Q. Who compiles the data for the Report Card and what sources are used?
A. The Colorado Health Institute, a nonprofit organization that is a comprehensive source of health information and analysis, compiles the data for the Colorado Health Report Card. The indicators selected for the 2008 Colorado Health Report Card come from nine different data sources, such as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), Colorado Child Health Survey and Current Population Survey (CPS). For a complete list of sources, visit www.ColoradoHealth.org.
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Q. What’s new in the 2008 Colorado Health Report Card?
A. The 2008 Colorado Health Report Card shows that, overall, the state fared the same or slightly worse compared with last year. The exception was the grade for Adolescents, which went from B- to B. Twenty-six of the thirty-nine indicators were updated with new ranking data in 2008. (The data used for some indicators are not updated annually.) While the Report Card does not show dramatic changes from 2007, Colorado is moving in the wrong direction in four of the five life stages: Healthy Beginnings, Healthy Children, Healthy Adults and Healthy Aging.
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Q. How did the grades for each life stage change in 2008?
A. Although the grade for Healthy Beginnings remains a C-, the state fared slightly worse in this category. Colorado did poorly with respect to the prenatal care indicator (rank 41st). The percentage of women in Colorado who reported late or no prenatal care, at 19.5 percent, is more than twice as high as New York, the best performing state. Colorado has higher rates of low birth weight babies compared with most states (rank 41st), and lower vaccinations rates (rank 36th).
For the Healthy Children life stage, the data were updated for just two of the indicators, poverty and uninsurance; therefore the 2008 Report Card shows little change from last year, with a grade of C-. However, both of these critical indicators are heading in the wrong direction for Colorado’s children.
In the Healthy Adolescents category, three of the 12 indicators were updated. Colorado’s grade improved slightly from a B- to a B. The percentage of adolescents living in poverty did not change in 2008. However, Colorado did experience a decrease in the percent of uninsured adolescents. Colorado’s rank improved from 41st last year to 33rd this year. However, one in three adolescents living in poverty is uninsured. As with children, many of these adolescents are eligible for publicly-funded programs but are not enrolled. Colorado experienced little change in the teen fertility rate.
The health of Colorado’s adults is headed in the wrong direction. The grade for Healthy Adults went from B to B-. Colorado’s adults had higher rates of uninsurance. In addition, they are reporting higher rates of smoking, poor mental health and binge drinking compared with last year. Compared with other states, Colorado performs poorly in terms of adults having a medical home (rank 33rd). Colorado adults, however, lead the nation on some of the healthy living indicators such as healthy weight (rank 1st) and physical activity (rank 4th) and have lower chronic disease rates than most states for diabetes (rank 1st) and hypertension (rank 3rd).
The Healthy Aging life stage showed a slight decrease overall, going from an A- to a B+. The state performs well on vaccination rates (rank 6th) and physical activity levels (rank 4th) compared with other states. Colorado ranks in the bottom half of states (28th) for the proportion of seniors who have a medical home.
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Q. How were the grades determined for each life stage?
A. A grade is assigned to each life cycle stage based on Colorado’s average rank for all indicators included in the life stage. For example, the average rank for the six Healthy Children indicators is 28. The letter grade of C- was assigned according to the rank/letter grade equivalency included in the Report Card.
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Q. How can these grades be improved?
A. Our Report Card Web site identifies a number of initiatives and/or programs in Colorado and elsewhere that hold promise for improving health. In selecting these initiatives, we have highlighted those that offer innovative solutions. In some cases, changes in local, state or federal health policies may be required to improve the grades.
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Obesity Report Questions
Q. Why did the Foundation issue a special report on obesity this year?
A. Nearly one in five Coloradans is obese and the trend is on the rise, especially for adults. Because obesity has such an impact on overall health, three life stages in the Colorado Health Report Card include indicators related to obesity. The Foundation has released a special report, Income, Education and Obesity: A Closer Look at Inequities in Colorado’s Obesity Problem, to highlight the troubling disparities in obesity rates among less-educated and lower-income Coloradans and what can be done about them. To read the report, visit www.ColoradoHealth.org.
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Q. Colorado has much lower rates of obesity than other states. Why is The Colorado Health Foundation focusing on this issue?
A. Despite its reputation as the thinnest state in the country, Colorado is headed in the wrong direction on this important health measure. The state has seen its obesity rate double since 1995. Today, nearly one in five adults in Colorado is obese. At this rate, only 35 percent of Coloradans will be at a healthy weight by 2017. The increase in obesity is even more pronounced in low-income Coloradans. Obesity is a serious health threat because it greatly increases the risk for other diseases and conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension.
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Q. What are health disparities?
A. Disparities, or inequities, in health are variations in health statistics among different socioeconomic, racial, ethnic or other groups. Inequities across income and education groups are seen in a range of health conditions throughout the lifespan.
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Q. Why is obesity more common in low-income populations?
A. Low-income people face many challenges in maintaining a healthy weight. People with lower incomes often have limited access to fresh and affordable fruits and vegetables in their neighborhoods. They also tend to be less physically active because their communities often lack safe parks and recreation facilities and well-maintained sidewalks and paths that encourage active lifestyles. The health of low-income families suffers as a result. They have higher rates of obesity-related conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma than middle- and upper-income families.
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Q. What can be done to address the obesity issue?
A. We all play an important role in addressing the problem of obesity. As parents, we can model healthy eating and activity behaviors for our children. Schools can remove sugary drinks and snacks from cafeterias and vending machines—changes especially important in schools where the majority of children receive free or reduced-price meals. Communities can design or redesign neighborhoods to foster safe recreation and physical activity. The Foundation is engaged in a variety of activities to promote healthier lifestyles and reduce the incidence of obesity. For a complete list of our recommendations and an overview of some promising initiatives, visit www.ColoradoHealthReportCard.org.
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