Americans’ Health
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on the trends in Americans’ overall health in 2011.
The good news:
- Fewer Americans are smoking. This is due to a combination of factors: health campaigns, less acceptance of smoking, fewer places allowing smoking, and cost.
- Forty-eight percent of adults met the federal guidelines for aerobic exercise.
- Adults who drink five or more alcoholic drinks a day has dropped to 22%.
The bad news:
- More than 20% of adults age 65 and older have diabetes.
- Self-reported obesity has increased from 19% in 1997 to 28.7% in 2011.
- Over 6% of the population failed to obtain medical care during the year due to cost.
For more details, read the full report.
