Frequent Physical Distress - Ages 65+Frequent Physical Distress - Ages 65+ in United StatesUnited States
Frequent Physical Distress - Ages 65+
United States
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United States Value:
15.8%
Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who reported their physical health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
Frequent Physical Distress - Ages 65+ in depth:
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Frequent Physical Distress - Ages 65+ by State
Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who reported their physical health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
Frequent Physical Distress - Ages 65+ Trends
Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who reported their physical health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
Trend: Frequent Physical Distress - Ages 65+ in United States, 2023 Senior Report
Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who reported their physical health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
United States
Source:
CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
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Frequent Physical Distress - Ages 65+
Trend: Frequent Physical Distress - Ages 65+ in United States, 2023 Senior Report
Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who reported their physical health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
United States
Source:
CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
About Frequent Physical Distress - Ages 65+
US Value: 15.8%
Top State(s): Connecticut, South Dakota: 10.6%
Bottom State(s): West Virginia: 22.4%
Definition: Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who reported their physical health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
Data Source and Years: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2021
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2023.
Frequent physical distress is an indicator of health-related quality of life and the burden of physical illness in a population, defined as 14 or more days of self-reported poor physical health in the past month. The cutoff point of 14 days has been validated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as constituting a substantial level of physical impairment. This measure aims to capture the population experiencing persistent and likely severe physical health problems.
Frequent physical distress is associated with chronic health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as risk factors such as smoking, obesity and physical inactivity.
The prevalence of frequent physical distress is higher among:
- Older women compared with older men.
- American Indian/Alaska Native and Hispanic older adults compared with Asian and white older adults.
- Older adults with less than a high school education compared with those with higher levels of education; college graduates have the lowest prevalence.
- Older adults with an annual household income of less than $25,000, who have a prevalence more than twice that of adults with an income of $75,000 or more; the prevalence decreases with each increase in income level.
- Older adults living in non-metropolitan areas compared with those in metropolitan areas.
Strategies to reduce the prevalence of frequent physical distress include reducing the risk of developing chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and arthritis. This may be done by focusing on evidence-based interventions that curb smoking, increase physical activity and promote healthy eating.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Strategies to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases: The CDC Guide to Strategies to Increase the Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables.” Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/21639.
Dwyer-Lindgren, Laura, Johan P. Mackenbach, Frank J. van Lenthe, and Ali H. Mokdad. “Self-Reported General Health, Physical Distress, Mental Distress, and Activity Limitation by US County, 1995-2012.” Population Health Metrics 15, no. 1 (April 26, 2017): 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12963-017-0133-5.
Gamble, Sonya, Tebitha Mawokomatanda, Fang Xu, Pranesh P. Chowdhury, Carol Pierannunzi, David Flegel, William Garvin, and Machell Town. “Surveillance for Certain Health Behaviors and Conditions Among States and Selected Local Areas — Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2013 and 2014.” MMWR. Surveillance Summaries 66, no. 16 (September 15, 2017): 1–144. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss6616a1.
Shih, Margaret, and Paul A. Simon. “Health-Related Quality of Life among Adults with Serious Psychological Distress and Chronic Medical Conditions.” Quality of Life Research 17, no. 4 (May 1, 2008): 521–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-008-9330-9.
Stellefson, Michael, Samantha R. Paige, Adam E. Barry, Min Qi Wang, and Avery Apperson. “Risk Factors Associated with Physical and Mental Distress in People Who Report a COPD Diagnosis: Latent Class Analysis of 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data.” International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 14 (April 2019): 809–22. https://doi.org/10.2147/COPD.S194018.
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