Illinois Women: Fat, Lazy, Drunk, Cancerous

By Margaret Lyons in News on Sep 2, 2004 3:28PM

Ladies, listen up: Illinois women are less healthy than most other women. We’re more likely to die of breast or colorectal cancers than women in most other states (46 other states for breast cancer, 44 for colorectal). On the upside, we’re less likely to commit suicide—we’re only 6th for that. (States are ranked from 1-50, 1 meaning “fewest women died from this condition.”)

In a report released yesterday by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, women’s health and mortality statistics were broken down by state, apparently a first for tracking women’s health. The report indicates both regional and ethnic and racial trends in terms of insurance coverage, preventive care, and susceptibility to stroke and heart disease.

Like we said, Illinois’s not looking too hot. We’re ranked 33rd for obesity and 40th for binge drinking, which, according to Chicagoist’s Beer and Chip laboratory, might be related. We’re also extremely lazy, coming in 41st in “no physical activity.” Again, lower numbers = better health.

The report is interesting state by state—we’re a little .pdf crazygonuts this week, for whatever reason—but beyond that, the breakdown along racial lines is staggering. In Illinois, 82.6 percent of non-Hispanic white women receive early and adequate prenatal care, while only 64.3 percent of non-Hispanic black women and 65.7 percent of Hispanic women do. In terms of exercise, 25.8 percent of white women reported that they didn’t engage in any physical activity, but that figure jumps to 38.8 percent of black women, 45.2 percent of Hispanic women, and 43.7 percent of Asian women. Let’s all put out our cigarettes and run run run to the doctor for mammograms and Pap smears—yeah, we’re 41st for that, too.