Ohio ranks 15th least healthy & least happy state per new 2023 health study

Well, it appears us Ohioans are unhappy, unhealthy, and sustained on fast-food.

Health Reporter released their 2023 study yesterday, September 20th, where they collected a plethora of research on nutritional and emotional well-being. Their methodology included, “4 fundamental pillars: nutrition, mental health, physical health, social connections and lifestyle. These pillars consist of 20 smaller elements, which together form the score for each state. A final ranking was calculated by evaluating the importance of each element from 1 to 5 and adding up the state subscores,” the study explained. 

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This data showed that healthiness coincides with happiness on some level; the happiest states were also some of the healthiest states, according to this data, with the exception of Hawaii, who has the highest amount of happiness but also the most amount of fast-food restaurants per capita, which, in my opinion, proves that drive-thru french fries really can bring a high level of happiness.

Here’s how Ohio was ranked in this study:

• Happiness Score: 48.19/100
  Ohio ranked 38/50 on the happiness scale, placing us as the 13th most unhappy state in 2023. In 2022, we were ranked at 38, which means throughout the past year, Ohioans gradually got a little less happy. The happiest state is apparently Hawaii, while the least happy state goes to West Virginia. 

• Nutritional Well Being Score: 62.98/100
  Ohio ranked 35/50, making us the 15th least healthy state. Massachusetts received a 100/100, while Mississippi received a 50/100, putting it in last place for overall nutritional well being.

• Number of Fast-Food per Capita: 5th/50
  Well, at least we’re not in the bottom this time! Apparently, Ohio is in the top 5 states that have the most fast-food restaurants per 100,000 people. Hawaii ranked #1, surprisingly, and not-so surprisingly, Alaska ranked last.

• Alcohol Consumption: 42/50
  You’re telling me that somehow, the Buckeye State, where thousands of people spend their Saturdays partying and rooting for Ohio State football, isn’t considered the state that drinks the most? Wow. New Hampshire took the #1 spot, and Utah, with 9 “dry” cities where you can’t buy alcohol, ranked 50th.

There’s a lot more data if this is something you find interesting, including divorce rates and which types of diets are the most popular in each state. Check out this spreadsheet for more info!

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