UND med school's biennial report says residents generally healthy, but birth rates continue decline
Feb. 6—GRAND FORKS — The UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences'
Eighth Biennial Report on Health Issues for the State of North Dakota
revealed that North Dakotans are relatively healthier than residents of other states, however, they experience a higher rate of obesity and their birth rates have continued to drop.
The 2025 report indicates that, overall, the state's health is good, according to a press release the medical school issued Jan. 31. Of the adults reporting their general health conditions in 2022, they were less likely to report either fair or poor health (14.3%). There is also a lower recorded prevalence of asthma and diabetes, according to the report's
executive summary.
On the other hand, North Dakota has a higher percentage of individuals reporting as overweight or obese (64.5%) compared to the nation's average, which was 40.3% during August 2021 to August 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the birth rate per capita is continuing to decline. Fewer births were recorded in 2022 than in each of the previous 10 years, the release said.
North Dakota residents also tend to have a higher risk for some types of cancer and, considering that the state has a large number of elderly people, has led the U.S. in the number of deaths attributed to Alzheimer's disease, according to the release. The report also emphasizes that unmet behavioral health needs is a statewide problem.
The report, which is required of UND's advisory council per North Dakota Century Code, serves as a way to update legislators and health care leaders on North Dakotans' current state of health and their health care delivery system. The report also includes an analysis of the steps the state can take to ensure its residents are able to access high-quality health care at an affordable cost, both now and in years to come, the release said.
"The publication of the Eighth Biennial Report underscores the critical importance of maintaining a regular, data-driven dialogue about the health and health care workforce landscape in North Dakota," said Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, UND's vice president for Health Affairs and dean of the SMHS. "Given how this report is published every two years, it provides crucial information to help ensure that our strategies and policies are grounded in up-to-date, evidence-based insights, empowering our state to meet its evolving health care needs and foster a healthier, more resilient future for all North Dakotans."
The state has been facing a shortage of health providers as well as an uneven distribution of providers, the release said. Rural and western areas continually lack adequate workers compared to urban areas; this extends from nurses to therapists.
"The deficit of North Dakota physicians is in rural areas where we fall behind both the Upper Midwest and the nation in the number of physicians per 10,000 persons," said Mandi-Leigh Peterson, the report's lead author. "The numbers are going in the right direction, though. We've seen a large expansion in the number and types of medical doctor residency training programs in North Dakota, with a doubling of slots since 2011. This will increase the likelihood that young physicians will complete residency programs in-state and thus practice in-state after their residency."
Though there is a higher volume of nurses in North Dakota (145 nurses for every 10,000 people) compared to the country as a whole (130 nurses per 10,000 people,) 313 fewer nurses were licensed in the state between 2022 and 2024. For the nurses who have remained in the state, less of them are working full time, the release said.
"This eighth report is a great example of collaborative work at UND and helps highlight the essential role nurses play in shaping health care in North Dakota," Dr. Maridee Shogren, dean of UND's College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines, said in the release. "The report explores key demographics, challenges and opportunities, showcasing how the rural nature of our health care systems drive innovation and collaboration to improve patient outcomes. The chapter on nursing in particular is a valuable resource for nursing leaders, academic institutions, clinical partners and legislators, recognizing the vital contributions of North Dakota's nurses to our overall health care system."
In previous reports, it was noted that North Dakota had fewer physicians per capita than peers throughout the Midwest and U.S. as a whole. This gap has since narrowed and, in addition, there has been an increase in the number of psychologists and licensed addiction counselors in the state since 2018, Peterson said.
A significant development with this year's report is the
health care dashboard,
which includes demographic data at the county level as well as information on the variety and number of primary care providers in the state. This gives health care leaders, policymakers and the public a chance to better understand their region's health care assets and well as its possible needs, the release said.
More information, including data on health conditions throughout the state, is expected to be added in the future.
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