Frequent Physical Distress - Women in Ohio

Ohio

Frequent physical distress aims to capture the population experiencing persistent and likely severe physical health problems, which can significantly impact health-related quality of life and overall wellness. It is measured by asking survey respondents how many days they experienced poor physical health in the past month and quantifying those who report 14 or more physically unhealthy days. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has validated the cutoff point of 14 days as constituting a substantial level of physical impairment.

Frequent physical distress is associated with behavioral and metabolic factors such as smoking, physical inactivity and obesity; and chronic health conditions including arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and depression.

According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of frequent physical distress is higher among:

• Women ages 35-44 compared with women ages 18-34.
• American Indian/Alaska Native, multiracial and other race women compared with Asian women. 
• Women with lower educational attainment compared with those who graduated from college.
• Women with an annual household income less than $25,000 compared with those with higher incomes. 
• Women living in nonmetropolitan areas compared with women in metropolitan areas.
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer (LGBQ+) women compared with straight women.
• Women who have served in the U.S. armed forces compared with those who have not served.

Strategies to reduce the prevalence of frequent physical distress include preventing or managing chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and arthritis. Evidence-based interventions that help reduce chronic conditions include curbing smoking, increasing physical activity and promoting healthy eating.

Evidence-based strategies for stress management that may reduce physical distress include regular physical exercise, relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation, scheduled leisure time and sufficient sleep (seven to nine hours per night).

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.

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.

Moriarty, David G., Mathew M. Zack, and Rosemarie Kobau. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthy Days Measures – Population Tracking of Perceived Physical and Mental Health over Time.” Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 1, no. 1 (September 2, 2003): 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-1-37.

Watson, Kathleen B., Susan A. Carlson, Fleetwood Loustalot, Machell Town, Paul I. Eke, Craig W. Thomas, and Kurt J. Greenlund. “Chronic Conditions Among Adults Aged 18-34 Years — United States, 2019.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 71, no. 30 (July 29, 2022): 964–70. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7130a3.