Key Message: While Wisconsin currently ranks fairly high in terms of overall mortality and health-related
quality of life, mortality among infants is higher in Wisconsin than in most Midwest states. Furthermore,
Wisconsin has seen less improvement over time in mortality and non-mortality outcomes than neighboring states.
Key Message: If people died at the same rates in every Wisconsin county as they do in the county with the
lowest death rate, then close to 5000 deaths could be avoided each year.
Key Message: Deaths due to preventable or treatable cancers, ischemic heart disease, motor vehicle injuries and
other unintentional injuries, homicide, suicide, and other avoidable causes of death account for nearly 80% of
excess deaths in Wisconsin. Since these seven causes also include the leading avoidable causes of death in each
life stage, identifying and implementing interventions that target these seven causes should improve health
across all life stages.
Key Message: Assessments of health disparities between US states and within Wisconsin can serve as indicators of
the overall health of Wisconsin. The Healthiest State project will use relative measures of mortality and
non-mortality outcomes to describe these disparities.
Key Message: To improve the health of Wisconsin, we need measures of disease burden for both fatal and
non-fatal illnesses. Several conditions impact the quality of life to a much greater extent than length of
life. These conditions that are notable for their frequency and impact include back problems, osteoarthritis,
asthma, and depression and other mental disorders.