Sharecare issues Community Well-Being Index 2022 state rankings report

Massachusetts named healthiest state for third consecutive year

ATLANTA and BOSTON, Sept. 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sharecare (Nasdaq: SHCR), the digital health company that helps people manage all their health in one place, in partnership with the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), today released the annual Sharecare Community Well-Being Index 2022 state rankings report, with Massachusetts claiming the title of the healthiest state in America for the third consecutive year.

Built on more than a decade of measurement and over 5 million surveys completed to date, the nationally representative dataset comprising the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index is the most comprehensive assessment of community health in the country. As in previous years, Sharecare’s proprietary research assessed the well-being of nearly half a million Americans spanning all 50 states across individual well-being domains, including physical, social, community, purpose, and financial; and also analyzed more than 600 elements of social determinants of health (SDOH) to identify those data most associated with community health outcomes: healthcare access, food access, resource access, housing and transportation, and economic security.  

Overall, well-being throughout the nation scored 60.7 out of 100, mirroring pre-pandemic levels, despite a slight decrease from last year’s average of 60.9. Nationally, physical health, social and community bonds, and sense of purpose in daily life all saw statistically significant increases. On the other hand, financial well-being experienced the most substantial decrease and the only negative shift.

“In our review of 2022 data, we found that well-being scores largely remained stable or exhibited positive trends compared to 2021; however, financial well-being emerged as a persisting issue, revealing an undercurrent of economic insecurity possibly linked to inflation and ongoing economic uncertainty, reminiscent of pre-pandemic times,” said Michael Winter, associate director of statistical programming at the Biostatistics & Epidemiology Data Analytics Center of BUSPH. “This year’s report highlights the importance of addressing all aspects of well-being, which extends beyond physical health to include financial stability and socioeconomic factors as we work together to enhance the well-being of our communities.”