Michigan places last of all states for senior obesity, according to new senior health rankings from the United Health Foundation. Overall, the Mitten State ranks 26 for senior health.
Our state’s strengths, according to the report, include
- A low prevalence of underweight seniors
- A high prevalence of dental visits
- A low prevalence of teeth extractions, at 13.1 percent of senior adults
The challenges, though, include
- A high prevalence of obesity, with more than 400,000 obese senior adults
- A low percentage of creditable drug coverage
- A high prevalence of smoking, with more than 130,000 seniors who smoke
