Iowa has dropped a few spots in an annual ranking of the states on the health of adults aged 65 and older.
The United Health Foundation’s report places Iowa 13th in the nation for senior health, down from 7th last year. Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) medical director Dr. Patricia Quinlisk says there’s plenty of positive news in the report, such as Iowa’s best-in-the-nation influenza vaccination rate among seniors. The report shows just over 70-percent of Iowans 65-and-older got the flu vaccine last year.
Nearly 30-percent of Iowa seniors are listed as being obese, placing the state as one of the worst in the nation in that category, but she notes the IDPH has several programs in place that are designed to improve older Iowans’ health.
Volunteerism among Iowa seniors ranks 6th in the nation, according to the America’s Health Rankings Senior Report.
