Utah is the fourth-healthiest state in nation

Utah is the fourth-healthiest state in the nation, according to "America's Health Rankings," up from No. 5 in 2004.

The Beehive State has fewer smokers and lower cancer death rates than any other state. It hits the top 10 in 11 of 18 categories, in fact. But when it comes to immunization rates for children 19 to 35 months old, Utah is a dismal No. 49, better only than Nevada, according to the annual ranking, released by the United Health Foundation. And it also lags in per-capita public health spending, ranking 47.

The foundation bases its annual rankings on categories related to lifestyle choices, community environment and community policies that promote or detract from health.

Utah has consistently been ranked one of the top 10 healthiest states since the foundation started issuing ratings in 1990, which pleases state health officials immensely, said Cody Craynor, state health department spokesman. "It reflects the commitment of public health and people who work in this arena, such as health-care providers. And the public, in making healthy decisions, should take credit as well."

Despite the positive ranking, Craynor said, health experts in the state know improvements are needed and continue to work on those issues. The state has launched a number of efforts to increase the immunization rate, which hovers at about 71 percent, for example. "Our goal is to reach 90 percent by 2010."

But doing that may require changing a common mindset, he added. "Our experts say many children remain inadequately immunized. One of the things the program sees as a challenge is the general perception we don't have a problem with vaccine-preventable diseases, so many parents don't see the need to have children immunized and many remain at risk."

Last year, Utah was ranked 29 in that category, and Craynor said health officials can't explain the dramatic 20-state drop because they don't have the data to see where improvements occurred in other states, for instance.

Utah has the lowest smoking rate in the nation, but tobacco is still the leading preventable cause of death in Utah, said Craynor. About 1,100 people die each year from smoke-related causes. The state health department has teamed with other agencies in anti-tobacco efforts, funded by the Legislature, that include community education programs, a hotline to help people quit and other programs.

Utah is No. 7 when it comes to percentage of the population classified as "obese," with more than 1 in 5.