( Health.com ) -- Progress in the fight against obesity , heart disease , and several other public-health scourges all but ground to a halt in the past year , although as usual a person 's chances of being in good health varied widely by location , according to the latest state-by-state rankings of the nation 's health . As they have in the past , northeastern states dominated the top of the rankings , while states in the southeastern United States were clustered at the bottom . Vermont -- with its low rate of infectious disease , high use of early prenatal care , and relative lack of violent crime -- was deemed the healthiest state for the second year in a row , followed by New Hampshire , Connecticut , Hawaii , and Massachusetts . The picture was far less bright across the nation as a whole , however . Increases in obesity , diabetes , and the percentage of children living in poverty are eroding the nation 's health , and the gloomy economic situation is likely only compounding these problems , say public health experts who contributed to the report , known as America 's Health Rankings . Health.com : The 10 most depressing states in the U.S. `` The economy , the despair that so many Americans are feeling , the anxieties , the tensions -- all of those things certainly could be leading people to make inappropriate behavioral choices , '' says Reed Tuckson , M.D. , the chief of medical affairs for the Minneapolis-based health insurer UnitedHealth Group and a board member of the affiliated foundation that helped compile the rankings . For instance , Tuckson says , eating a healthy diet -- a challenge during the best of times -- requires even more thought and planning when families and individuals are on a tight budget . `` In a world where there 's a $ 1 cheeseburger available 24 hours a day , seven days a week , everywhere , many people may be making those choices too often , '' he says . Health.com : States that consume too much fast food . The United Health Foundation has been publishing the annual state-by-state rankings since 1990 , in conjunction with the American Public Health Association ( APHA ) and the Partnership for Prevention , a coalition of government , business , and nonprofit organizations dedicated to health promotion . The report collects data on 23 health and socioeconomic measures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the Census Bureau , and several other federal agencies . The measures include straightforward yardsticks of disease -- such as rates of diabetes , obesity , poor mental health , and deaths due to cancer and heart disease -- with data on societal factors known to influence health , such as the percentage of the population with health insurance or a high school diploma . Between 1990 and 2000 , the overall health of the nation according to these combined measures improved by an average of 1.6 % each year . After 2000 , however , the upward trend slowed to 0.5 % annually -- and this year there was no improvement at all . Health.com : U.S. cities with the worst air pollution . `` We really have had some stagnation in our health improvement over the last year , '' says Georges Benjamin , M.D. , the executive director of the APHA , a professional organization for public health experts . `` One year a trend does n't make , but it 's something to think about . '' The current report is based on figures from about a year ago , so it likely captures the early part of the economic downturn , Benjamin adds . At the other end of the scale from Vermont , Mississippi was again the unhealthiest state in the nation -- a spot it has held for the past decade , thanks in part to high rates of obesity , childhood poverty , and preventable hospitalizations . Alabama , Arkansas , Oklahoma , and Louisiana rounded out the five least-healthy states . Health.com : The 50 fattiest foods in the states . The percentage of Americans who are obese rose from 26.9 % to 27.5 % , and the percentage of those with diabetes also edged upward , from 8.3 % to 8.7 % . If these trends continue , Tuckson says , one in five adults will have diabetes by 2050 . Childhood poverty also is on the rise . Roughly 22 % of U.S. children now live in poverty ( which the Census Bureau defines as a four-person , two-child family making less than $ 22,113 a year ) , up from 16 % a decade ago . And although children are more likely to have insurance coverage today than in the past , the opposite is true among adults , according to the report . There are some glimmers of good news , however : The percentage of American adults who smoke fell from 17.9 % percent to 17.3 % percent , for instance , and the number of preventable hospitalizations dropped from 82.5 to 68.2 per 1,000 Medicare enrollees . Health.com : The 10 states most addicted to smoking . Efforts to improve health in this country must focus on prevention , and should be tailored to individual states and communities , Benjamin says . `` Physical activity , nutrition , and tobacco : If we could get people focused on those three , we could take a huge bite out of the chronic disease epidemic , '' he says . `` This is not an infinite list of things that people have to address . '' Copyright Health Magazine 2011 .
As they have in the past , northeastern states dominated the top of the rankings . Vermont has low rate of infectious disease , high use of prenatal care and lack of violent crime . Mississippi was again the unhealthiest state in the nation , a spot it 's held for a decade .