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Hawaii‘s women
healthiest

But the state got failing
grades in some areas,
leaving room to improve

---

By Helen Altonn
Star-Bulletin

Hawaii's women have the best health in the nation but no state -- including Hawaii -- received an overall "satisfactory" grade in a comprehensive study of women's health in the country.

Despite Hawaii's top ranking, "Making the Grade on Women's Health: A National and State-by-State Report Card" shows that much more needs to be done, Marcia Greenberger, co-president of the National Women's Law Center, said today by telephone.

The study was conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based law center, FOCUS on Health & Leadership for Women, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and The Lewin Group, a national health research and policy consulting firm in San Francisco.

Hawaii had the most women with health insurance -- only 7.5 percent were uninsured. Texas ranked last, with 28 percent without health insurance.

Women in Hawaii also live longer than in any other state, with a life expectancy of 81.3 years. In Louisiana, at the bottom, a woman's life expectancy is 76.9.

Virginia Pressler, state Department of Health deputy director/health resources administration, said Hawaii's high ranking in many areas of women's health is "music to my ears."

"We always look the best in the nation but we're not satisfied with that," she said. "We know there are major disparities; we're not doing a good job with primary prevention."

She said the state's Healthy Hawaii Initiative, funded by the tobacco settlement, is focused on prevention and healthy lifestyles and access to services for all women.

Greenberger noted areas where Hawaii missed the national goals by more than 10 percent and got failing grades. For example, she said, a red-flag area is binge drinking, where Hawaii ranks 26th in the country. That is defined in the study as five or more drinks at one time within one month.

Hawaii also failed in these areas of wellness and prevention: no leisure-time physical activity, overweight, eating five fruits and vegetables daily, and smoking.

It received satisfactory grades in screening for pap smears (ninth), mammograms (19th) and colorectal cancer (fifth).

In key causes of death for women, Hawaii's breast-cancer death rate was lowest in the nation per 100,000 population, but it received a failing grade for stroke deaths, ranking 18th.

Hawaii also drew "F" grades for high blood pressure (21st in the nation) and diabetes (31st) among chronic conditions.

It failed in the area of poverty, ranking 30th in the nation, and in wage gap, 10th in the nation. And it was in 26th place nationally for women completing high school, receiving an unsatisfactory grade.

In a number of areas, such as diabetes-related services and health services related to mastectomies, Hawaii lacks policies and programs that other states have adopted, Greenberger said.

"Clearly there seems to be room for improvement in women getting access to prenatal care," she said, noting Hawaii's 16th place ranking. "And there are important ways of expanding Medicaid coverage and outreach to make sure women know they are covered, and those might be policies for Hawaii to address."

Failing health Hawaii was first over all, but no state received a grade of "satisfactory," in a report card on women's health released today by the National Women's Law Center, Focus on Health & Leadership for Women at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and The Lewin Group. Here are the best and worst states: TOP 5 Hawaii Vermont Massachusetts Minnesota Colorado BOTTOM 5 Mississippi Louisiana Alabama Kentucky Arkansas