Survey Measures Health of California Residents
About 80% of California adult residents describe their health as good, very good or excellent, despite more than half of residents being overweight or obese, according to the California Health Interview Survey released Thursday, the Sacramento Bee reports. The telephone survey includes responses from more than 42,000 adults, 4,000 teenagers and 8,500 children. It is released every two years.
The survey found that in 2003:
- 90% of adolescents and 93% of children rated their health as good, very good or excellent;
- 55.6% of adults reported body mass indices above 25, the upper limit for a healthy BMI;
- More than three-fourths of women reported knowing of emergency contraception, although 12% knew it could be obtained over-the-counter from a pharmacist without a prescription; and
- Adults ages 18 to 24 reported the highest prevalence of asthma at 14.8%.
- Prevalence of asthma among adults ages 25 to 39 increased by about 17%;
- The percentage of 12- to 14-year-olds who engaged in "vigorous physical activity" three or more days per week increased from 65% to 71%;
- The rate of uninsured Asian-American adults decreased by 19%, although the overall rate of uninsurance among adults remained at 17%; and
- The rate of postmenopausal women taking hormone replacement therapy decreased by 47%.