About the Colorado Health Report Card

How healthy are we?
Most Coloradans believe we are one of the healthiest states, based on studies that point to our low obesity rates and active lifestyle. The fact is that Colorado rates only average or below average on a number of critical health indicators used to measure overall health. The 2008 Colorado Health Report Card, along with information contained within this site, show how we are doing on a wide range of health measures and what we need to do to become the healthiest state in the nation.

2008 Update
The 2008 Report Card includes detailed information about the factors that pose the most risk. Together with the Colorado Health Institute, we selected 39 indicators that provide a more complete picture of the health of our state.

We believe everyone deserves a healthy start in life and the opportunity to maintain good health through all stages of life. The indicators are organized by life stages to help illustrate the health threats of greatest concern for each age group. The 2008 Report Card grades each of these five life stages to show how Coloradans fare at every age. The stages are: Healthy Beginnings, Healthy Children, Healthy Adolescents, Healthy Adults and Healthy Aging.

Within each life stage are four or more indicators used by most states and tracked by health organizations across the country. For each indicator we examined the most recent Colorado data, how we rank among the 50 states, and how close Colorado comes to goals set by the federal government in its Healthy People 2010 initiative. The grades for each life stage are an average of the rankings for indicators in that stage.

Expanded information available
Along with the 2008 Colorado Health Report Card, the Foundation created this Web site as a supplement to further explain the data and share promising initiatives targeting related health conditions and outcomes. On this Web site, users will find definitions, explanations, context and background about the indicators along with several graphs to provide a situational analysis of each indicator in Colorado. The information on this Web site is also available for download as a document. [Download Understanding the Numbers: Indicator Details and Promising Initiatives] 

New Report on obesity now available
Colorado may be one of the leanest states but nearly one in five Coloradans is obese and the trend is on the rise, especially for children. Because obesity has such an impact on overall health, three stages of life 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 poorer Coloradans and what can be done about them.

2008 results show little change
Older adults in Colorado are doing relatively well but heading in the wrong direction with a grade drop in 2008 from A- to B+. We still rank only average or below average on most indicators related to children. There is more work to be done to ensure that our children enjoy the same quality of life as older adults. Overall, the Report Card shows that Colorado has a long way to go to become the healthiest state in the nation. We invite you to join us as we work to improve these grades and the health of all Coloradans.