How does America's health today compare to a year ago? A decade ago?
Newnumbersfrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shed some light on the question.
TheNational Health Interview Survey, conducted every year, shows that in most areas Americans have declined, health-wise, over the last decade.
But there are some bright spots: smoking is down, and more people are exercising in their free time.
For more on the specific ways Americans have gotten better -- or worse -- with regard to their health, read on.
Obesity Up
In 2010, 28.4 percent of adults over the age of 20 were obese, which is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or more. That's up slightly from 2009 (28 percent) and way up from 10 years ago. In 2000, only 21.8 percent of adults were obese. Among females, African American women were more likely than their white and Hispanic counterparts to be obese. Among males? White men were the most likely to be obese.
Exercise Up
Well, kind of. The percentage of adults 18 and older who engaged in some form of physical activity in their downtime was down slightly from 2009 -- from 34.7 percent to 34.4 percent in 2010 -- but that's still a big improvement from 10 years ago. In 2000, it was only 31.7 percent.
Smoking Down
In 2010, 19.4 percent of adults over age 18 were smokers, down from 20.6 percent in 2009. Generally, smoking has declined in the last decade, from 23.3 percent of the adult population in 2000. Overall, men are more likely than women to be smokers and white and Hispanic adults were more likely to be smokers than African American adults.
Alcohol Consumption The Same
In 2010, 22.7 percent of adults (including those 18 and older) indicated they'd had five or more drinks at least once in the last year, which is basically the same as it was in 2009. In 2000, just 19.2 percent indicated they had. Nearly 43 percent of males between ages 25 and 44 indicated they'd had five drinks in one day at some point in the last month, followed by 39 percent of 18- to 24-year-old males. Females age 65 and older had the lowest percentage -- just 2.2 percent.
Number Of Uninsured Up
According to the new data, 16 percent of people were uninsured in 2010. That's up slightly from last year, when it was 15.4 percent, and is also the highest percentage in the last 10 years. In 2000, 14.9 percent of people were uninsured. Hispanics were most likely to be uninsured, followed by African American, then white respondents. Men were more likely to be uninsured than women.
People Know Their Docs
In 2010, 85.4 percent of people had a usual or regular place where to go for medical care, not including the emergency room. That's almost exactly the same as it was in 2009 (85.5 percent), but lower than it was in 2000, when 87 percent of people had a usual place to go.
People Steer Clear Of Care Because Of Costs
In 2010, 6.9 percent of people said they didn't seek medical care at some point in the last year because of costs. That's the same as it was in 2009, but way up from 2000, when it was 4.5 percent of people. Notably, women (age 16 to 64) were more likely than their male counterparts to have avoided care in the last year because of costs.
Diabetes And Asthma Up
Researchers honed in on two particular health issues -- diagnosed diabetes and asthma -- and the news was bad on both counts. In 2010, 9.2 percent of adults 18 and older had received a diabetes diagnosis, versus 9 percent in 2009. In 2000, only 5.9 percent of adults had a diabetes diagnosis. Also up? Asthma episodes, which in 2010 were the highest they'd been in the past decade -- plus: 4.5 percent of adults had an episode in the past 12 months. Overall, the number of people of all ages currently living with asthma was up slightly from last year -- 8.6 versus 8.4 percent. In 2000, only 4 percent of people of all ages were living with asthma.
Overall 'Excellent Health' Down
In 2010, 65.7 percent of people had excellent or very good health (people were asked to report their own health as either excellent, very good, good, fair or poor.) That's down ever so slightly from last year when it was 66.3 percent and also from 10 years ago. In 2000, 68.3 percent of people reported that they had excellent or very good health.
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