Public health problems, including food insecurity and diabetes, are on the rise in some Mississippi socioeconomic classes, according to a new report released Tuesday.
According to the America’s Health Rankings Health Disparities Report, the rate of diabetes among people in Mississippi with less than a high school degree increased 30% between 2017 and 2019, compared to the same period from 2011 to 2013. The rate of people with some college degree who have asthma increased by 36% over the same period.
The report, produced by the United Health Foundation, aims to identify persistent and widening gaps in health and wellbeing by race and ethnicity, gender, geography, and level of education.
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Income inequality between 20% of the state’s richest and 20% of the poorest residents has increased since 2011, the report said.
The condition has improved in some areas. More women are reported to graduate from high school than there was a decade ago, and the child mortality rate of blacks has fallen by 24%, according to the report.
The news comes after the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted longstanding health disparities between socioeconomic classes in the United States.
Judy Monroe, President and CEO of the CDC Foundation, said datasets like the ones provided in the report can help begin the process of addressing and ultimately eliminating these inequalities.
“By analyzing data, examining inequalities and addressing root causes of health outcomes, we can empower each other,” she said in a statement. “By moving this work forward, we can make our neighborhoods, our country and our economy stronger and more resilient.”
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