Tag: Polling

Polling

Hawaii Continues as the Best State for Well-Being

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According to the latest Gallup Poll.

Hawaii residents had the highest wellbeing in the nation in 2011 with a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index score of 70.2, maintaining that state’s No. 1 status for a third consecutive year. North Dakota, Minnesota, Utah, and Alaska rounded out the top five states. West Virginia residents had the lowest wellbeing, with a score of 62.3, slightly improved from 61.7 in 2010.

Here is the chart.

There are definite regional differences with the Western states doing better than those in the South.

I suspect smoking and diet which are culturally based are larger factors than are discussed in the report. But, read it all.

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Health

Poll Watch: Obese Americans Report Higher Rates of Daily Pain

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According to the latest Gallup Poll.

U.S. adults who are obese report higher rates of daily pain than those who are not, according to Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index surveys of more than 1 million Americans. In fact, the higher an individual’s Body Mass Index (BMI) score, the more likely he or she is to report experiencing pain, with 44.1% of those with BMIs of 40 or higher saying so.

Gallup and Healthways calculate BMI scores based on respondents’ self-reports of their height and weight collected as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Respondents answered questions about pain between 2008 and 2010, including if they experienced pain yesterday and if they had pain conditions in the last year.

Sixty-three percent of the 1,010,762 people who responded to the survey were classified as overweight (38%) or obese (25%). Obese respondents were further classified into one of three obesity levels as defined by the World Health Organization.

And, the link is stronger among women and older Americans.

Additionally, as Americans age, excess weight is associated with even more pain — especially for people aged 40 and older. This finding suggests a developmental process in which individuals who have chronic pain conditions, such as arthritis or other rheumatic diseases, may reduce their physical activity levels, which in turn leads to elevated BMIs. Alternately, older, normal-weight Americans were only slightly more likely than younger Americans to report daily pain.

I am adverse to pain and am happily reducing my BMI.

Now, I weigh 228 and with my height of 5’11” will have to reach 214 pounds to shed myself of the obese category. I will then be overweight until I reduce to 185 or so.

It will probably be another year before I have reduced to a normal weight.

But, it is well worth it.

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Health

Americans Who Have Health Insurance Have Better Health Habits

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According to the latest Gallup Poll.

Americans who have health insurance have higher Healthy Behaviors Index scores than the uninsured at any age in the 18 to 64 cohort. This holds true even after controlling for age, gender, education, ethnicity, employment, and income.

Overall, 80% of American adults younger than 65 report having health insurance coverage. This analysis is based on about 200,000 interviews conducted between January and October 2011 as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which includes the Healthy Behaviors Index as a sub-component. Specifically, respondents are asked to report on whether they smoke, on how many days in the last week they exercised for at least 30 minutes, if they ate healthy all day “yesterday,” and on how many days they consumed five or more servings of fruits and vegetables in the last seven days.

This is not really shocking since you would expect people who value their good health would also tend to want to protect it.

Other findings of the poll:

  • Insured Less Likely to Smoke, More Likely to Eat Healthy
  • Insured are more likely than the uninsured to report eating at least five servings of produce at least four days in the last week
  • In physical activity the difference between the insured and uninsured group while present is not large.
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Diabetes

Poll Watch: American Diabetes Rate Levels Off and Obesity Rate Declines Slightly

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According to the latest Gallup Poll.

In the third quarter of 2011, 11% of Americans reported having ever been diagnosed with diabetes. This measurement and the 10.6% that Gallup and Healthways measured in the second quarter of this year are among the lowest levels recorded since 2009. The diabetes rate was below 11% throughout 2008, but then began to increase in 2009 and 2010.

Gallup and Healthways measure the diabetes rate in the United States by asking Americans: “Have you ever been told by a physician or nurse that you have diabetes?” The question does not discern between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

And, the United States obesity rate has decreased slightly.

The graph:

Good news and since type 2 diabetes (the most common form of diabetes) is preventable with diet and exercise, it only makes sense that when the obesity rate declines so will diabetes.
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Diet

Poll Watch: Americans Health Habits Decline as Winter Approaches

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According to the latest Gallup Poll.

As is typical during the winter season, Americans report exercising less. The percentage of adults who reported exercising frequently — for at least 30 minutes three or more days per week — fell to 49.8% in November, from 52.2% in October and from the year’s high of 54.5% in July. Fewer Americans exercised frequently last month than did in November of last year (50.5%).

Americans typically exercise more in the spring and summer and less in the fall and winter. Frequent exercise usually drops to its lowest point in December of each year and beings to improve again in January.

The percentage of Americans reporting that they exercise frequently was relatively low through the fall of 2008 and much of 2009, amid the worst of the economic crisis. However, the percentage who reported frequent physical activity was generally higher in 2010 and has since remained at somewhat higher levels. The average percentage of Americans who exercised frequently was 51.5% in 2010, 49.6% in 2009, and 51.4% in 2008.

It is all about the weather in the United States. I am blessed with year around temperate weather here in California for running, although it is cold in the morning and evening.

With regards to healthy eating, it is MORE expensive to eat fresh produce and vegetables in the winter. This could be a function of the economy, but more than likely, the cultural year end holidays also play a role.

One good thing is that healthy habits do rebound when spring arrives.

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