When asked how they rate their own health and the health of their families, more than two-thirds of Americans report that their households enjoy very good or excellent health, and the proportion that feel this way has remained consistent from 1997 to 2001. (See Figure 10.1.) More than one-third of the survey respondents considered their families and themselves to be in excellent health, although m…
Eating a nutritious diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and getting regular exercise are important health promotion and disease prevention measures. Although there is some evidence that Americans' diets have improved, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that only about one-fourth of adults eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. (See Figure 10.5.) Toge…
One of the most powerful primary prevention measures available is immunization against infectious diseases. Immunization rates are leading health indicators for the assessment of the health status of a country, city, ethnic group, or other population. Diseases that used to kill or disable many thousands of children, such as mumps, measles, diphtheria, and poliomyelitis, now are preventable through…
Lack of physical exercise not only contributes to risk for heart disease but also increases the risk of colon cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and arthritis. Regular physical activity also is linked to improved mental health, reducing mild anxiety and depression. Health professionals agree that even moderate amounts of exercise, such as walking thirty minutes per FIGURE 10.4…
Whereas excessive alcohol consumption remained about the same and smoking continued to decline from 1997 to 2002, the prevalence of obesity, defined as body mass index (BMI) of thirty kg/m2 or more, among adults steadily climbed from 19.4 percent in 1997 to 23.8 percent from January through June of 2003. (See Figure 10.11.) Young adults of both sexes had the lowest rate of obesity (20.4 percent fo…
The proportion of adults who smoke cigarettes has declined consistently, from nearly 25 percent in a 1997 survey to 21.6 percent from January through June 2003. (See Figure 10.14.) In 2003 more men than women identified themselves as former smokers (24 percent of men and 19.4 percent of women) and more women reported that they had never smoked. In every age group, more men than women identified th…
During January through June 2003, 19.8 percent of Americans had at least five drinks in one day on at least one occasion in the past year. There was no significant upward or downward trend in excessive drinking from 1997 to 2002. (See Figure 10.18.) Some researchers feel that it is unwise to assume that these statistics accurately reflect rates of problematic drinking in the United States because …
In the United States and other developed countries, where does most medical care take place? Is it delivered in hospitals, clinics, or physicians' offices? The correct answer, according to Lowell Levin, Ed.D., M.P.H., emeritus professor of epidemiology and public health at the Yale University School of Medicine, is "none of the above." Dr. Levin says most medical care is deliv…
Family, friends, active interests, and community involvement may do more than simply help people enjoy their lives. Social activities and relationships actually FIGURE 10.17 Age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of current smoking among adults aged 18 years and over, by race/ethnicity, January–June 2003 may enable people to live longer by preventing or delaying development of many disease…
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