A groundbreaking study has determined the unhealthiest place to live in America — and that's bad news for millions of people in the South.
By combining 21 metrics, including the percentage of adults who smoke, obesity rates and cancer mortality, Forbes Advisor found that West Virginia is the worst-performing state in America when it comes to staying in shape.
One in five residents of the Mountain State is a smoker. The state also ranks first in diabetes mortality and second in shortest life expectancy at just 73.9 years.
Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas helped the South become the least healthy region in the U.S., while Hawaii residents dwarfed the competition as the island came out on top.
The South has eight of the ten unhealthiest states in America, due to a combination of rampant drug abuse, poor health and lifestyle habits, and a high risk of disease
Five of the ten healthiest states in America are on the East Coast – but Hawaii took the top spot because of its long life expectancy and sports-loving residents
For West Virginia to be considered the unhealthiest country in America, residents adopted some of the worst habits available to them.
The state has the highest proportion of obese adults in America at 41 percent, the same proportion of adults with high cholesterol, while it also has the highest diabetes mortality rate at a shocking 41.7 percent.
West Virginia has the highest drug overdose death rate at 75.03 per 100,000 residents, more than 50 percent higher than the next worst state, Delaware, at a time when authorities are struggling to stop the state's flood of drug use.
The state also recently ranked last among the most diverse states in America.
Of the ten states with the unhealthiest populations, eight are in the South, with residents of Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama and Louisiana also scoring poorly.
However, Mississippi is the closest state to West Virginia, particularly because of its disease and health services problems.
The state ranks first with a cancer mortality rate of 178.97 deaths per 100,000 residents, but also has the highest mortality rates for hypertension, kidney disease and stroke.
It also has the shortest life expectancy in the country at 73.63 years, and at 31.9 percent, adults in the state were the most likely to report not exercising in the past month.
Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky round out the top five, while Oklahoma, Ohio and Indiana are also among the ten unhealthiest states in the country.
West Virginia (pictured) is the unhealthiest state in America. One in five residents of the Mountain State is a smoker. The state also ranks first in diabetes mortality and second in shortest life expectancy at just 73.9 years
Hawaii residents' obsession with health has led the Aloha State to rank first among the healthiest states in America, ranking first in life expectancy at 80.87 years, second lowest in obesity at 25.9 percent, and second lowest in drug abuse. and cigarette consumption is the fifth and sixth lowest
Experts warn that America is becoming less and less healthy. From 2025 to 2060, the number of Americans suffering from diabetes is expected to increase by 39.3 percent, hypertension by 27.2 percent, and obesity by 18.3 percent
At the other end of the spectrum, Hawaii came in at number one thanks to its residents' love of exercise and their dislike of drugs and smoking.
The Aloha State ranks first in life expectancy at 80.87 years, second in obesity at 25.9 percent, and fifth and sixth in drug and cigarette use, respectively.
While many of the rest of the top 10 are on the East Coast, Utah has become the second healthiest state in America.
The highly religious state has the fourth-lowest proportion of adults who drink heavy alcohol at just five percent, the lowest proportion of smokers (6.7 percent) and the second-lowest number of adults who have not exercised in the last month (16.9 percent). ).
The state's residents also performed well in a number of health statistics, including having the lowest cancer mortality rate, the second-lowest blood pressure rate and the fourth-lowest high cholesterol levels.
After Utah, Connecticut, Minnesota and Massachusetts are among the five healthiest states.
In compiling its list, Forbes found that many Americans' health is declining rapidly and six in 10 adults now suffer from at least one chronic disease, according to the CDC.
According to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, from 2025 to 2060, the number of Americans suffering from diabetes is expected to increase by 39.3 percent, hypertension by 27.2 percent and obesity by 18.3 percent.