Frequent Physical Distress - Women

Frequent Physical Distress - Women in United States

United States

Frequent physical distress is a measure that aims to capture people who are experiencing persistent and likely severe physical health problems, which can greatly impact their overall well-being. Having 14 or more days of poor physical health has been validated as an indicator of substantial physical impairment. 

Frequent physical distress is associated with behavioral and metabolic factors such as smoking, physical inactivity and obesity; limited health care access and lower use of preventive care services; and chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The prevalence of frequent physical distress is higher among:

• Women ages 35-44 compared with women ages 18-34.
• American Indian/Alaska Native and multiracial women compared with Asian and Black women. 
• Women with lower educational attainment compared with college graduates.
• Women with an annual household income less than $25,000 compared with those with higher income levels; the prevalence was lower with each increase in income level.

Strategies to reduce the prevalence of frequent physical distress include lowering the risk of developing chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and arthritis. Focusing on evidence-based interventions that curb smoking, increase physical activity and promote healthy eating may help reduce that risk.

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.

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Pickens, Cassandra M., Carol Pierannunzi, 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, 2015.” MMWR. Surveillance Summaries 67, no. 9 (June 29, 2018): 1–90. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss6709a1.

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.