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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Ning Lu, PhD, MPH and Richard W. Wilson, DHSc, MPH. Department of Public Health, Western Kentucky University, 1 Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576, 270-745-5260, ning.lu@wku.edu
Using Kentucky BRFSS data of year 2000 this study profiles Kentucky adult population (³18 years) with respect to their socioeconomic status (SES), health behavior, access to medical care, and health status. The result helps to identify at-risk population subgroups, and to develop effective health education and promotion strategies.
The study 1) estimated the prevalence of risk behaviors, such as cigarettes smoking, inadequate consumption of fruits/vegetables, physical inactivity, and overweight, and poor access to care (no health insurance coverage or unable to afford medical care), by age, sex, and SES of income, education and employment status; and 2) assessed physical and mental health by SES, and access to care.
The result shows that the prevalences of current smokers and inadequate consumption of fruits/vegetables decreased, whereas, the prevalences of physical inactivity and overweight increased as age advanced for men and women. The prevalences of risk behaviors except for physical inactivity were lowest among people of ³74 years. This may reflect the agreement of changes in behaviors as age advances and the survival bias.
The prevalence of risk behaviors, access to care, and health status varied significantly by SES. The higher prevalences of risk behaviors, poor access to care, and poor health were found among people with lower levels of income and education across almost all age groups. Moreover, the association of education to certain behaviors was stronger than that of income, especially among adults <55 years. The prevalence of poor health is also found higher among people with poor access to care.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Health Assessment, Social Class
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.