Report Examines How Public Health Funds Are Spent

A report by a health advocacy group shows the percentage of smokers in Wisconsin is above the national average, and that the rate of pre-term births is below the national average.

Every year the Trust for America’s Health does a report on how public health resources are being used. Executive director Albert Lang says rates of disease indicate a need for more public health spending at all levels: from the Centers for Disease Control to state and local governments.

“And obviously with a country as big as ours, sometimes things fall through the cracks or we are not focusing on the right initiatives,” said Lang. “We like to paint a picture for legislators and public health experts out there to see if the country’s getting a big bang for its buck.”

There’s a wide variation in each state’s health. For instance, 13 percent of West Virginians had diabetes in 2012; in Wisconsin, 8.3 percent did. Only 10.6 percent report smoking in Utah, while in Wisconsin, 20.4 percent of adults report using tobacco.

Wisconsin does stand out in some good ways. Lang says Wisconsin does a pretty good job of immunizing children, with the fifth best immunization rate for children age 19 to 35 months in the country.

“Also, they have a relatively low high school dropout rate, and we know education attainment is one of the main drivers of good health later in life,” said Lang.

Wisconsin still has one of the highest graduation rates in the country, although it varies considerably by race and income. The Department of Public Instruction reports the class of 2013 had a graduation rate of 88 percent.