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Cardiovascular Disease:
Cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes, is the leading cause of death in Mississippi.
Over 40% of deaths in the state are due to CVD; more than 10,000 Mississippians die from it each year.
Mississippi's CVD mortality is the highest in the nation, with a mortality rate in 2000 that was
29% higher than the U.S. as a whole. More Mississippians die each year from CVD
than from all types of cancer, traffic injuries, suicides, and AIDS combined.
Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the state, killing almost 2,000 Mississippians a year.
Diabetes:
Diabetes contributes to the deaths of 1,600 Mississippians each year. In 2002, more than 270,000
Mississippians had diabetes. One third of them were undiagnosed.
Cancer:
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Mississippi; it accounted for 21% of all deaths in 2001. Rates of death from all cancers were 80% higher among men than among women.
Arthritis:
Arthritis is a leading cause of disability among persons aged 15 years and older in Mississippi.
Based on CDC estimates for 2002, 29% of Mississippi adults suffer from arthritis.
| Risk Factors for Chronic Disease |
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 Smoking: smoking is the single most
important modifiable risk factor for heart disease.
Recent statistics show that more than one quarter of adult Mississippians were smokers, and 21%
of Mississippi high school students smoked cigarettes.
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension):
approximately 644,000 Mississippi adults are now estimated to suffer from high blood pressure. In 2001, the prevalence for hypertension
had increased to 31% from 28% in 1990.
High Blood Cholesterol: Almsost a third of adult Mississippians report a high blood cholesterol level.
Lack of Regular Physical Activity
- In 2001, four of five adult Mississippians were not physically active on a regular basis (at least 5 days per week,
at least 30 minutes per session).
- More than half of Mississippi adults are sedentary: they report no leisure time physical activity
or only irregular physical activity.
- In 2003, more than 15% of Mississippi high school students did not participate in any vigorous or moderate physical activities during the past seven days.
Being Overweight / Obese
- Mississippi ranks among the highest in the nation in obesity.
In 2002, 36% of adult Mississippians were overweight, and
27% were obese
- In 2003, almost one-third of Mississippi high school students report that they were overweight
or at risk of being overweight.
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