Healthiest State Publications

• How Fast Can Wisconsin Become Healthier? A Framework for Setting State Health Objectives
  Key Message: If current trends in mortality continue in Wisconsin and other states, Wisconsin will drop in rank relative to other states.
• How Do Wisconsin's Health Outcomes Compare to Those of Other Midwest States?
  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.
• How Should We Measure Health-Related Quality of Life in Wisconsin?
  Key Message: As we monitor progress towards improving health, we need to measure HRQOL as well as count the number of lives saved or deaths avoided.
• The Burden of Excess Deaths in Wisconsin
  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.
• The Causes of Excess Deaths in Wisconsin by Life Stage
  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.
• Using Measures of Disparities as Indicators of the Health of Wisconsin
  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.
• Measuring the Burden of Non-Fatal Illness in Wisconsin
  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.