Report finds New Mexico health has improved

| The Associated Press

12/4/2008 - 12/4/08

A new report ranks New Mexico as the 29th healthiest state in the country, up nine spots from the previous year.

The report by the United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and the Partnership for Prevention says the incidence of infectious disease has declined in New Mexico over the past year and the percentage of children in poverty decreased.

The report says New Mexico's strengths include strong public health funding at $132 per person, a low rate of cancer deaths and a low rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease.

New Mexico Health Secretary Alfredo Vigil says he's pleased with the state's improvements, but health officials must worker harder to prevent New Mexico's obesity rate from climbing higher. The prevalence of obesity stands at 25.1 percent of the population.