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Volume 27, Issue 464 |
April 3, 2006 |
HEALTH STATUS AND UTILIZATION
By Anna C. Spencer
A February 2006 U.S. Census Bureau report paints a picture of the nation’s economic and demographic characteristics, as well as health coverage and health status. Below are highlights from the report, which used data collected from 2001-2002.
Health Status: Close to two-thirds of people reported either excellent or very good health, with the majority of those two-thirds reporting excellent health. Men reported better health than women did, and older respondents reported poorer health than younger ones. There was no direct relationship between income and perceived health status for respondents with incomes below 250 percent of the federal poverty level.
Doctor Visits: A higher proportion of women than men reported visits to the doctor. Non-Hispanic whites had the highest and Hispanics had the lowest doctor-visit rates (see chart 1). During the 12 months prior to the interview, 23 percent of non-Hispanic whites never visited a doctor, while the corresponding rates for blacks, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics were 33 percent, 34 percent and 43 percent respectively. Older individuals reported poorer health status, as well as a greater frequency of doctor visits.
Prescription Drugs: One-half of all people took no prescription medicines over the previous 12 months, while another one-third regularly took prescription drugs (see chart 2). A higher proportion of women than men took prescription medicines at least once (56 percent versus 44 percent) or during the entire 12-month period (38 percent versus 27 percent). Non-Hispanic whites had the highest proportions, and Hispanics had the lowest proportions of people taking prescription medicine. While 55 percent of non-Hispanic whites took prescription medicine at least once, 41 percent of blacks, 32 percent of Hispanics and 37 percent of Asian Pacific Islanders did so.
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