A new report from HelpAdvisor.com, drawing from census polling data taken in December, has Alabama as the state most affected by inflation-related economic stress.

According to the report, 81% of adults in Alabama reported feeling “moderate to severe stress” caused by rising prices driven by inflation.

This makes Alabama the most affected state in the nation, where the national average is 74.7% of adults reporting moderate to severe stress.

Stress is well-known as a contributing factor to elevated premature mortality rates, with Alabama already suffering from some of the highest rates of premature death in the country.

Unfortunately, the economic nature of this pressure may compound those risks with additional factors.

“Accelerating the issue of inflation-related stress in Alabama is the idea that people there may be sacrificing prescription medications, doctor’s appointments, and other medical treatment as a response to increasing inflation,” the report’s author, Christian Morstell, said in a statement provided to the Huntsville Business Journal.

“The data in our study shows 22% of U.S. adults are countering inflation by delaying medical treatment and 31% are purchasing less produce and meat. In other words, an already vulnerable demographic is becoming even more at risk.”

“It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that current inflation is trimming years off the lives of Alabama residents.”

Around 20% of respondents reported taking on additional employment to try to cope with rising prices, which also, naturally, leads to more stress.

Morstell added that inflation was exacerbating issues already present in Alabama.

“Obviously if inflation comes down, so too should the stress associated with it. But inflation or not, residents in Alabama remain in a high-risk category for stress due to high rates of poverty and low levels of education. Until these are remedied, Alabama will remain a state with increased levels of stress and the health outcomes associated with it.”