Areas of Study
Research Methods
Data Tables |
Healthy
Hall 2007 Community Assessment Summary Report
Assessment
Findings - Health
|
|
Contact Us
Site Map
Related
Links
|
Evaluating the health of Hall County requires a wide-ranging assessment
of health practices, access to care, incidence of disease and prevalence
of prevention strategies. The 2007 assessment focuses on personal health
status and health habits for adults and children, but also explores
experiences and attitudes related to health insurance.
|
2007 SUMMARY
REPORT
TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
These
findings are divided into the following sections:
Access to Care
Adult Health Care
Children's Health
Health Insurance
Health Habits and Indicators
Women's and Men's Health
Mental Health
Key
Findings in This Section:
-
The health of Hall County
residents lags slightly behind the profile of others in the south. About
55% of Hall adults say their health is excellent or very good, compared
to 60% across the South.
-
Those
who say they rely on the hospital emergency department for routine
primary care is declining. In 2003, 12% said they would use the ER if
they got sick. In the current study only 6% said they would likely use
the ER for a routine illness.
-
While 95% of Hall adults believe it is
important to have health insurance, only 81% have coverage of some sort.
Among the 19% without
coverage, 38% are employed, and 85% earn less than $50,000 per year. 59%
of the insured have children under 18 living in the home.
-
The rate of uninsured found in 2007—19%--is
substantially higher than in 2003 when the rate of uninsured was 11%.
The largest increase in the uninsured has occurred among younger,
low-income, less educated adults.
-
Among
those working uninsured, 61% work for employers who do not offer
insurance benefits. 58% of the working uninsured believes $100 or less
is a reasonable price to pay for health insurance for their families.
-
43%
of those without health insurance delayed getting medical care in the
past year because they could not afford it. 31% delayed dental care for
the same reason.
-
58% of Hall County adults are overweight or
obese. While troublesome, this finding is consistent with national data
on adults and weight.
-
Tobacco use
continues to decline, especially among younger adults. Overall, 21% of
Hall adults report smoking cigarettes, compared to almost one-third in
1998.
|
Introduction
Healthy
Hall Members
Notes
On Secondary Research
Hall
County Survey Results
Who
Responded To This Survey?
Assessment
Findings:
Health
Safety & Security
Connections to the Community
Confidence in the Future
|
|
|
|
Access
to Care
|
How
would you rate your general state of health?
|
The
Percentage Of All Adults
Who Say Their Health Is
Excellent Or
Very Good
|
Age 45
to 64 |
56% |
|
Age 65
to 74 |
43% |
|
Low
Income |
41% |
|
Income
Above $75K |
75% |
|
Black
|
51% |
|
Latino
|
53% |
|
White
|
65%
|
Source: NHIS
2005 |
Most in Hall County
self-assess their health as very good or excellent, but 7% rate
their health as poor, a substantial increase from the 2003
Healthy Hall Assessment, when only 3% said their health was
poor.
According to the National Center
of Health Statistics, 14.6% of adults in the South rate their
health as fair or poor. This compares with 18% of Hall County
adults.
|
|
Latino respondents are more than
twice as likely as Whites to say their health is poor (15%
compared to 6%). Income and availability of health insurance are
also significant factors. Of those at the lowest income levels,
42% report their health is fair or poor, compared to 8% of those
who earn $50,000 to $100,000 and 6% of those whose household
income exceeds $100,000. Among the uninsured, 17% report poor
health, compared to 5% of those with health insurance.
One might expect age to be a big
factor influencing health status, but that is not necessarily
the case. Those over age 65 reporting poor health total 8%,
compared to 9% of those age 45 to 54 and 5% of those under age
34. According to our study, the age group with the poorest
health is 55 to 64—35% of this group report their health is fair
or poor. |
Health Status Of
Hall County Adults
 |
Whether it is because active people feel
better or because people who feel better are more active, there is a
definite relationship between being active and feeling healthy. Those
who volunteer in the community, attend church regularly, or exercise at
least three times a week are healthier. For example, those who volunteer
are twice as likely to report excellent health as those who do not
volunteer—43% to 21%. Further, married adults are twice as likely to say
their health is excellent than their single counterparts.
It is probably no
surprise that the healthiest people in Hall County are those who earn
more than $100,000 a year, are active in the community, don’t smoke
cigarettes, exercise regularly and maintain normal weight levels.
Compared to 12 months ago, would you say
your health is better, worse or about the same?
There are some interesting patterns in
response to this question. For example:
-
31% of Black respondents, and 28% of
Latinos report their health is better, compared to 15% of White
respondents.
-
One quarter of those with high school
only or less education also report their health is better, compared
to 13% of those with college degrees.
-
Those at the lowest income levels are 5
times more likely to report their health is worse than those at the
highest levels.
- There is a big
jump in reports of health worsening in the 45-to-54 age group. Among
those ages 45 to 54, 13% reported their health is worse, compared to
just 6% of those age 35 to 44. In the older groups, 11% of those 55
to 64 and 19% of those over age 65 said their health is worse in
2007 than it was the year before.
|
|
How
long has it been since you last visited a doctor or other healthcare
professional? |
|
Hall County residents appear to have ready
access to physician care. The survey says that 82% of Hall adults have
seen a doctor or health care professional in the past year, and 95% have
within the past three years.
That does not mean that
access is uniform, however. While 87% of those with insurance have been
to a doctor or health professional, only 62% of those without insurance
have. Ethnic differences are evident as well—with 69% of Latinos
reporting going to a doctor, compared to 86% of White and 89% of Black
respondents.
As
in Hall County, 82% of adults in the South have seen a doctor within 12
months.
Nationally, about 58% of the uninsured saw a doctor or health
professional in the past year. Hall County’s uninsured are faring a
little better, with 62% seeing a doctor or health professional in the
past year.
Sources:
NHIS 2005 Healthy Hall
|
|
How
long since your last visit to a dentist?
Many more disparities exist when it comes
to access to dental care. Those with less income or no insurance are far
less likely to report they’ve seen a dentist in the past year.
For example, 68% of those with health
insurance have also seen a dentist in the past year, but only 36% of
those without insurance have. Among those who earn more than $100,000
annually, 94% have seen a dentist in the past year, compared to 32% of
those who earn less than $25,000 per year.
While visits to the doctor were similar
among Blacks and Whites, visits to dentists are far different. 70% of
Whites report seeing a dentist in the past 12 months, compared to 42% of
Blacks. Black experiences here are similar to Latinos, 41% of whom
report seeing a dentist in the past year.
When access to a dentist within the past
three years is measured, the access picture looks a bit better. Visits
to a dentist within three years rise to 51% among the lowest income, and
to 55% among the uninsured. Yet 29% of those who earn less than $25,000
annually have not seen a dentist in the past five years, and 11% have
never seen a dentist at all. Among Latinos, 23% have not seen a dentist
in the past five years.
The
National Health Interview Survey shows that nationally 42% of adults
living in poverty have seen a dentist in the past year.
Low
income Hall County adults don’t fare as well—32% accessed a dentist in
the past year.
Sources:
NHIS 2005 Healthy Hall
|
|
Percentage Of Adults Reporting Seeing
A Dentist In Past Year
▪ Insured
68%
▪ Uninsured
36%
▪
Over $75K
86%
▪ Less Than $25K 32%
|
Where
do you usually go when you are sick or need advice about your health?
|
|
Consistent with results reported above, most Hall County adults (76%) go
to a private doctor office when they are sick or need health services. A
substantial number depend on public or free services, such as the health
department and the Good News Clinic, however.
The table below shows patterns of access
for several key demographics. It is clear that substantial percentages
of key population groups do not or cannot turn to private doctors’
offices when care is needed.
Those who say they would most likely use
the hospital emergency room for routine care declined sharply in 2007
from 2003. In the earlier study, 12% said they would use the ER, but
only 6% cited ER in the new study. The biggest change in those using the
ER appears to be Latino adults. In 2003 24% of Latinos said the ER is
where they would likely go for care, compared to 8% in 2007.
|
Where
do you usually |
Private Office |
Free
Clinic/ |
Hospital |
|
go for
care? |
|
Health
|
Emergency |
|
|
|
Department |
Room
|
|
White Respondents |
85% |
4% |
4% |
|
Black Respondents |
58% |
17% |
19% |
|
Latino Respondents |
46% |
27% |
8% |
|
Earning Under $25,000 |
53% |
20% |
13% |
|
Earning Over $100,000 |
94% |
3% |
1% |
|
Uninsured |
44% |
26% |
15% |
The Hall County-Gainesville Vision 2030
initiative endorses expanded funding and access for services that
provide medical services to low-income patients for free or on a sliding
scale. Vision 2030 encourages exploration of models of care where local
government, local hospitals, businesses and donors work to expand access
to care.
Source:
Vision 2030
|
|
Have you ever delayed getting medical
care for any of the following reasons in the last 12 months?
Thirty
percent of Hall adults have delayed getting medical care for some
reason, usually for economic reasons. For example:
-
15% delayed care because they could not afford
it
-
7% delayed because they lacked insurance
-
Just under three
percent (2.6%) delayed care because a provider would not accept
their insurance
Access and cultural
barriers also contribute to delays in care:
-
8% could not get an appointment for unspecified
reasons
-
7% had to wait too long to get an appointment
-
3% reported transportation problems
-
2% reported language barriers
|
During the past 12
months was there any time when you needed the following but did not get
it because you could not afford it?
|
|
Those who have trouble
paying for care are most likely to put off dental care, vision
correction and prescription medications.
Hall Adults Who Did Not Get Services
Because They Could Not Afford It
For a
family of four the poverty level is $20,650.
Sources:
Hall County Commission for Children &
Families , U.S. Department of Health &Human Services
|
|
|
|
Children's Health Care |
|
Hall
County children have somewhat better access to medical care than other
children in the South,
where 75% have seen a doctor or health professional in the past six
months.
Source:
NHIS,
2005
|
How long has it been since you last took your child/children to
the doctor or other health professional? Have you ever delayed getting
medical care for your child/children for any of the following reasons?
|
Parents’ experiences taking
their children for medical care indicate that access for children is
broad, if not quite universal. Overall 83% of parents reported taking
their children to the doctor in the past six months, and another 12%
have taken their child for medical care within the past year. Together,
95% of parents of children under 18 report taking their child or
children to a physician or health professional within the past year.
Some parents report delaying care, however. For
example:
- 7% delayed getting care because of lack of
insurance
- 6% delayed care because they could not
afford it
- 2% reported difficulty getting their
insurance accepted
- 5% reporting delays because they had to wait
too long to get an appointment
|
How long has it been since your child/children last saw a dentist?
While children have better access than adults, problems with access
to dental care are a problem here, too. 79% of parents report taking
their children to a dentist in the past year, 69% within the past six
months. However, 13% of Latino parents, 12% of the uninsured and 14% of
those with incomes of less than $50,000 annually have not taken children
to the dentist in five years or longer.
Access to dental care for children from Latino families is almost
equal to others. While 71% of white and Black children have seen a
dentist within six months, 61% of Latino children have.
Access to dental care is
somewhat better also, compared with children in the South overall.
53% of children in the South have seen a dentist within six months.
About 46% of Latino children nationally have seen a dentist within six
months.
Source: NHIS 2005 |
Where do you usually go when your child/children are sick or need
advice about their health?
As with adults, most children are cared for in
private doctors offices (76%), but substantial numbers rely on public or
charitable services, especially the uninsured and those who are Latino.
Public and charitable services are also used more
frequently by Gainesville residents. No parents from South Hall reported
using the health department or free clinics for their children’s care.
|
Where do you usually take your child/ children
for care? |
Private Office |
Free Clinic/
Health Department
|
Hospital
Emergency Room |
|
White Respondents |
92% |
4% |
1% |
|
Black Respondents |
79% |
7% |
7% |
|
Latino Respondents |
38% |
36% |
2% |
|
Earning Under $25,000 |
51% |
25% |
4% |
|
Earning Over $100,000 |
94% |
0% |
0% |
|
Uninsured |
48% |
29% |
5% |
During the past 12 months was there any time when your
child/children needed the following but did not get it because you could
not afford it?
Though adults are less likely to postpone health
services for their children, it does happen, especially in the area of
dental care.
As can be seen in the chart below, 10% of parents
delayed dental care and 5% delayed prescriptions because they could not
afford it. Not all of these parents are at the lowest income levels.
While 40% of parents earning less than $25,000 delayed at least one
medical service for a child, 25% of those earning $25,000 to $50,000 did
the same.
Hall Children Who Did Not Get Services
Because Their Parents Could Not Afford It
How important is it for people to be covered by health insurance?
Which of the following choices do you think is primarily responsible for
making sure people have health insurance?
Hall Countians understand the importance of
health insurance. Just about everyone - 95% - said health insurance is
"extremely important" and 4% said it is "somewhat important." Even
though it is important, it is also expensive, and 19% of Hall adults are
without it, most for economic reasons.
Most Hall County adults believe that either they
or their employers are primarily responsible for providing health
insurance. 35% point to individuals and 25% say employers are primarily
responsible for making sure people have insurance.
Who Should
Provide Health Insurance?
Household income is an influence on these views.
Those at the $100,000 plus income level are most likely to view the
individual as primarily responsible, while those in the next most
affluent category - $75,000 to $99,999 - are somewhat more likely to
look to government for coverage. But positions are pretty uniform across
age, income and education groups. Even 30% of those who make less than
$50,000 a year believe individuals are responsible for providing
coverage.
Are you currently covered by a health insurance plan? What is the
source of your health insurance?
There has been a sizeable increase from 2003 to 2007 in the number of
adults in the Healthy Hall survey who do not have health insurance
coverage. In 2003 11% in the study were uninsured. That has risen to 19%
in the current study.
|
Among those
adults who are insured, here are the sources of their current
coverage: |
|
Employers |
68% |
|
Privately Paid Plan |
11% |
|
Medicare |
15% |
|
Medicaid |
3% |
|
Military/Other Gov’t |
2% |
|
No Insurance |
19% |
One half (50%) come from low-income homes, and
59% have children in the home. Just over a third of the uninsured (36%)
report their health is fair or poor. Two thirds (65%) of them live in
Gainesville.
The increase in the uninsured between 2003 and
2007 occurs primarily those who earn less than $25,000 annually, those
with a high school or less education, African Americans and Latinos.
Here is a breakdown of key changes between 2003 and 2007.
Among those who have no health insurance 38% are
currently employed. However, the overall rate of the uninsured among
those currently employed is the same in 2007 as it was in 2003—12%. This
indicates that those in the workforce with benefits have not changed
much since 2003. The change has occurred among less educated minority
adults, many with children, who are between jobs or not working at all.
Does your employer offer health insurance? Why do you not have
coverage?
Among those who are working but who do not have insurance, 61% report
their employer does not offer health insurance. Those for whom insurance
is available and yet do not have it, decline it primarily because it
costs too much.
50% report they do not take insurance offered them because it costs
too much. 29% report they are not eligible for coverage. 7% say they
don’t want or need coverage.
What do you believe is a reasonable price to pay for health
insurance - a monthly cost you would be willing to pay for family
coverage?
Most uninsured (58%) believe $100 or less is what they would be
willing to pay for coverage. An additional 11% said they would pay $101
to $200 per month. Only 6% would pay more and 6% said they would not buy
insurance at any amount (which corresponds to the 7% above who said they
don’t need or want insurance).
While $100 per month may seem to many an unrealistically low sum for
health insurance, for a person making less than $25,000 annually, that
premium could represent 5% or more of the household’s annual budget.
How are most of your child’s/children’s health care expenses paid?
Have you ever applied for PeachCare and been turned down?
Thanks to PeachCare and expanded options for
Medicaid coverage for children, the percentage of uninsured children is
about one-third of adults. Here are the sources of insurance covering
Hall County children:
|
Employer Sponsored
Insurance |
53% |
|
Privately Paid Health Coverage
|
7% |
|
PeachCare |
15% |
|
Medicaid |
13% |
|
Military/Other Gov’t |
2% |
|
Other |
2% |
|
No Insurance/Self-Pay |
6% |
The number of uninsured children is substantially higher than 2003,
however, when virtually no Hall County children were uninsured. The
impact of tighter coverage qualifications for Georgia Medicaid and
PeachCare can be seen in the fact that 21% of parents surveyed by
Healthy Hall have applied for PeachCare for their children and been
turned down. 47% of those families earning less than $25,000 annually,
and 32% of those earning between $25,000 and $50,000 have applied for
PeachCare at some point and been turned down.
What is your height and weight (computed BMI)?
Participants were asked to provide their heights and weights. The
information was used to compute body mass index (BMI) for each
participant. Note that nine pregnant participants, whose weight would be
higher were excluded.
Calculations show that 58% of Hall County adults have BMI’s above the
healthy range of 18.5 to 24.9. 30% are overweight, which is a BMI of 25
to 29.9 and an additional 28% are obese, which is a BMI of 30 or higher.
Ten percent of the adults surveyed are underweight, which is a BMI under
18.5. The data show that 16% of the Latinos surveyed fall into the
underweight category.
Obesity is high in all age groupings, but very high among adults 55
to 64. In this age grouping, 41% have BMI ratings in the obese range.
Do you know your cholesterol level? What is it?
Almost two-thirds of Hall County adults—62%--do not know what their
cholesterol levels are. Among those who do know, 71% report a
cholesterol level below 200, which is commonly defined as dividing line
between a normal or healthy cholesterol level and increased health risk.
Those who do not know their cholesterol levels include many who have
other health risks or complications. For example:
- Among the uninsured, 87% do not know their cholesterol levels
- 63% of those who are overweight, and 59% of those who are obese
do not know
- 67% of those whose health is poor do not know
- 55% of those aged 45 to 54, key heart attack years, do not know
People with a total cholesterol
level of 240 mg/dL or more have twice the risk
of coronary heart disease than someone with a cholesterol level of 200.
Source: American Heart
Association
Have you ever been told by a doctor or health professional that
you have hypertension, also called high blood pressure? Do you take
medication for it?
While 30% of adults surveyed report having hypertension, the
incidence rate rises dramatically among several key at-risk groups. For
example:
- Among the obese, the rate is 47%
- Among Blacks, it is 50%
- Among those over 65, the rate is 59%
Fortunately, most who know they have hypertension do take medication
for it, but 27% do not. Those who fail or refuse to take medication are
most likely to be younger, Latino or uninsured. 52% of Latinos with
hypertension do not take medication. 35% of those without insurance also
do not treat their hypertension with medication.
Have you ever been told by a doctor
or health professional that you have diabetes? Do you measure your blood
sugar daily? Do you take medicine or follow medical direction to control
your diabetes?
The diabetes rate in Hall County (13% of adults) is considerably
higher than national averages (7%) or southern averages (8.3%). Diabetes
is normally more prevalent among poorer, less educated populations, and
that applies to Hall County. The rate of diabetes among those earning
less than $25,000 annually is 22%, and among those with high school or
less education, 18%.
Reported diabetes is highest among those who are obese—where the rate
climbs to 25%. Further, 18% of those uninsured report having diabetes.
The chart below shows the rate of diabetes and responses to the
disease among several key demographic groups in Hall County. The table
demonstrates that low income and uninsured are substantially less likely
to monitor and treat their diabetes.
|
Findings Among Key
Population Related
To Diabetes |
Those
Diagnosed With
Diabetes |
Those Who
Measure Blood Sugar
Daily |
Those Who
Get Medication Or
Treatment |
|
Overall Hall Adults |
13% |
66% |
72% |
|
White |
12% |
68% |
76%
86%
53%
|
|
Black |
19% |
71% |
|
Latino |
15% |
53% |
|
Obese |
25% |
60% |
69% |
|
Overweight Healthy Weight Earning Under $25,000
|
13% 3% 22% |
79% 50% 64% |
84% 75% 68%
|
|
Insured |
12% |
77% |
77% |
|
Uninsured |
18% |
35% |
59% |
Do you know how to perform a
self-breast exam? Do you perform a breast self-exam on a regular basis?
Virtually all women responding--94%--know how to perform a
self-breast exam and 65% do it on a regular basis. These are virtually
identical to the 2003 responses.
A concern from past Healthy Hall studies was the relatively low
levels of Latino women who know how to do an exam and perform it
regularly. In 1998, only 20% of Latino women reported performing a
self-exam. That number rose to 64% in 2003 and it is 79% in the 2007
study. Those who do not know how to perform an exam at all tend to be
less educated or Latino. Those who know how to perform an exam, but who
do not do it regularly, tend to be White and over age 65. 39% of White
females say they do not perform the exam regularly, compared to 26% of
Black women and 21% of Latino women.
Have you ever had a mammogram? Have
you had a mammogram in the past year?
Screening recommendations for breast cancer using mammography have
changed in recent years. The emphasis remains on women over age 40
having mammograms at least every two to three years, annually if there
is medical history prompting a need for more frequent testing.
Mammograms for younger women are sometimes recommended based on medical
and family histories.
Nine of ten Hall County women over age 35 (90%) have had a mammogram
at some point, 61% have had one in the past year. In the 45-to-54 age
cohort, 66% of women have had a mammogram in the past year. Those
most likely to have had a mammogram in the past year are over age 65
(68%).
Women who have health insurance are twice as likely to have had a
mammogram in the past year. According to the study, 65% of insured women
report a recent mammogram, compared with just 33% of uninsured women.
Obesity has been linked to breast cancer. The study shows that obese
women are somewhat less likely than women of normal weight to have had a
mammogram—51% compared to 60%. There is also a difference in mammography
rates between South Hall and other areas of the county. Only 51% of
women living in South Hall have had a recent mammogram, compared to 68%
in North Hall and 64% in Gainesville.
There is also a racial difference in mammography rates. While 64% of
White women have had a mammogram in the past year, 53% of Black women
and 39% of Latino women have. In the 2003 study, 41% of Latino women
reported a mammogram in the previous year.
Have you ever had a Pap smear? Have
you had a Pap smear in the past year?
Most Hall County women (97%) have had a Pap smear at some point in
their lives, and 66% have had one in the past year. While the American
Cancer Society does not recommend an annual Pap smear for all women,
most in the 23 to 34 age range should have a Pap smear on an annual
basis. Among women in this age range in Hall County, 80% report a Pap
smear in the past year.
There are only modest differences in Pap smear rates between insured
and uninsured women, but there is a significant difference between low
and high income groups. 67% of insured women have had a Pap smear in the
past year, compared to 60% of those uninsured. 82% of those earning
$75,000 to $99,999 per year have had a Pap smear, compared to 57% of
those in homes that earn less than $25,000.
It appears that Latino women have Pap smears at pretty much the same
rate as women from other ethnic groups.
Have you ever had a bone density
scan?
This question was asked only of women over age 50, 68% of whom have
had at least one bone density exam to check for signs of bone loss or
osteoporosis. This number has risen from 52% in 2003.
Ethnic difference and differences related to income and insurance are
visible here. While 73% of insured women over 50 have had a bone scan,
only 33% of uninsured women have. Among women in higher income
households, the rate is above 70%, but it falls to 56% among women in
lower income homes.
Among Whites, 71% of women over 50 have had a bone scan. The rates
fall to 54% among Black women and 29% among Latino women.
Have you ever had a colonoscopy?
This question was also asked only among women and men over age 50. As
can be seen on the chart below, more women than men report having a
colonoscopy at some point since their 50 birthday.
There is a substantial difference in colonoscopy screening rates
between insured and uninsured women, but the difference is non-existent
among men. Among women, 68% of those with insurance have had a
colonoscopy, but only 28% of women without insurance have.
No Latino men or women over 50 reported having a colonoscopy. The
sample size of Latino men and women this age is small, but this is a
finding that merits further evaluation.
Have you ever had a prostate exam or PSA test?
The survey indicates 85% of men over 50 have had a
prostate cancer or PSA test. In 2003 82% of men over 50 reported getting
this test.
The rates of screening are consistent across the board, with insured
and uninsured men accessing the test at similar rates.
Have you or someone in your home ever felt the need to access
mental health or substance abuse treatment services for any reason?
15% of Hall County adults say that, yes, someone from their home has
needed mental health or substance abuse services. College graduates are
more likely to report this need than someone with a high school
education or less—20% to 11%. Those who are obese also report this need
at a higher level—21% compared to 9% for those whom are simply
overweight.
There are some interesting, albeit inconsistent, observations related
to church participation and the need to access mental health services.
Among those who say they participate in worship services regularly-
every week - 12% report a past need for mental health services. That
rises to 25% among those who participate frequently, which is defined as
a few times a month. It falls to 7% among those who participate in
worship only occasionally, or about once a month. Finally, the rate
rises to 19% among those who never participate in worship activities.
Those who are unmarried are also more likely to report a need for
mental health services than married adults - 20% compared to 12%. The
rate rises to 25% among those who are divorced.
Have you ever had difficulty
accessing mental health or substance abuse services for any reason? Why
was that?
Just over 16% of Hall County households where services were needed
had difficulty with access. This question yields a small number of
respondents, which makes analysis of results difficult. But it is
interesting that current family economics do not appear to be a major
predictor of access problems. There is virtually no difference in access
among those who have health insurance and those who do not.
One quarter of respondents do report that lack of insurance was a
factor. The same percentage (25%) report there were not appropriate
services available locally. Most cite unspecified "other" reasons for
difficulty with access.
How would you describe your level
of physical fitness? What is your normal exercise routine?
Most Hall County adults—55%--see themselves as somewhat fit. Those
who say their fitness level is excellent total 16%. Those who say their
fitness is fair or poor total 29%.
It is interesting that the 55-to-64 age group, the group that is most
at risk in some key areas, is also most likely to view their fitness as
excellent or somewhat fit, descriptions embraced by 71% of this group.
However, this group also provides the largest poor fitness response—17%.
Those who say their fitness is excellent and who exercise regularly
tend to be better educated and upper income. Among those with
post-graduate degrees, 26% say their fitness is excellent, compared to
13% of those with some college or college degrees. Almost half of those
earning over $100,000 (49%) report exercising three or more times a
week, compared to 37% of those earning $25,000 to $50,000 and 34% of
those at the lowest income levels.
Those with the lowest levels of fitness are the obese. Only 6% of
this group says their fitness is excellent, and 19% say it is poor.
The most interesting observation from the chart above is that
one-quarter of Hall County adults exercise either rarely or not at all.
You might expect inactivity to increase with age, and the over-65 age
segment is somewhat more sedentary. Yet the percentages of those who
rarely or never exercise are consistently around 25% in all the age
cohorts, from young to old.
According to national surveys,
57% of men and 66% of women never exercise.
Absence of exercise increases in lower income homes, where 75% of adults
never participate in
vigorous, leisure activity lasting 10 minutes or more, the CDC’s
definition of exercise.
Sources:
NHIS 2005
In a
typical day, how much time do you spend watching TV, playing video games
or surfing the Internet for fun?
While the most popular response was one to two hours a day—36% cited
this amount of screen time—a larger percentage of Hall County adults
(40%) spend two to four or more hours a day entertaining themselves in
this manner.
The highest consumers of screen time are older adults. 79% of those
over age 65 spend two or more hours in this way in a typical day. Those
55 to 64 are the second highest viewers, with 49% consuming two or more
hours of screen time in a typical day.
One might hope that homes with children watch less television, and at
least for the adults in the house, that appears to be the case. Among
adults with children under 18 in the home, 31% report watching one hour
or less of screen entertainment in a typical day, compared to 17% of
those without children.
Do you smoke? Over the past 12
months have you smoked cigarettes regularly?
Just over one in five Hall County adults (21%) continue to smoke
cigarettes, but there is evidence that smoking levels are declining
among younger adults.
For example, the smoking rate among adults 35 to 54 is 23%, but it
falls to 15% among adults under age 35.
There is a long-standing link between education and smoking. While
only 11% of college graduates smoke cigarettes, 28% of those with high
school or less education do. Among those with post-graduate degrees,
only 7% smoke cigarettes.
Ironically, given the cost of cigarettes, smoking is higher among
those who earn less than $50,000 per year. 27% of those in the $25,000
to $49,999 income bracket smoke cigarettes, compared to just 9% of those
who earn more than $100,000.
In the past 12 months have you
tried to quit, but then resumed smoking cigarettes?
Those who tried to quit and failed totaled 11% of cigarette smokers.
At the lowest income levels, 16% tried to quit and failed. Among those
who reported their health is poor, 20% tried to quit and failed.
Failure Rates Among Smokers Who Tried to Quit in the
Past Year
|
Overall Hall County |
11% |
|
Those Age 55 to 64 |
15% |
|
Those With Children At Home |
10% |
|
Those Without Health Insurance |
16% |
|
Those Who Say Health Is Fair Or Poor
|
21% |
During the past 12 months have you used other tobacco products on
a regular basis?
Overall, 4% of Hall County adults report using some other type of
tobacco product. The vast majority who use these products—chewing
tobacco, snuff, and cigars—are men. Single men are twice as likely to
use these products as married men.
The use rate rises to 11% among those over age 65. Use is only 2.3%
among those age 23 to 34.
During the past 12 months have you
ever consumed more than 5 alcoholic beverages in a single day?
Responses to this question, designed to reveal incidences of binge
drinking, reveals that younger and more affluent Hall Countians are more
likely to drink heavily.
For example, among those age 55 to 64, only 5% reported drinking 5 or
more alcoholic drinks in a day. That rate rises to 14% among those 23 to
34 and 15% among those 35 to 44.
The rate of binge drinking among those who earn less than $25,000 is
5%, but it rises to 13% among those who earn more than $75,000 per year.
It is 8% among those with high school or less education, but 15% among
college graduates.
|
|
|
|
