Americans aged 45 to 64 are more likely to be obese than those in other age groups. Obesity rates generally increase as Americans get older before dropping off among seniors. This pattern is present among white, black, and Hispanic Americans alike, with middle-aged blacks the most likely to be obese.
Smoking rates by state vary widely, with smoking twice as prevalent in some states as in others. States with the most highly educated residents tend to have the lowest smoking rates and vice versa. Smoking is also lower in states with higher cigarette taxes and broader smoking bans.
The youngest Americans who've been deployed to foreign wars are more likely than older active duty service members to say they've been diagnosed with depression and to report experiencing daily pain. Eight in 10 or more in both age groups have been previously deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.
American workers with long commutes have lower overall wellbeing and are more likely to report a range of physical and emotional health problems, including back and neck pain, high cholesterol, worry, and fatigue. Obesity is also more common among those with lengthy trips to work.
Fewer Americans rated their lives positively in July than did so in any other month so far this year, resulting in the Gallup-Healthways Life Evaluation Index score dropping to 49.6, after reaching a high of 50.8 in June.
This report highlights some of the findings from a representative sample of American youth, aged 10 to 18 years, collected in late June/early July of 2010.
West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Arkansas have the highest obesity rates in America, while Colorado has the lowest. New Hampshire, Wyoming, Maine, and South Dakota have seen the biggest increases in obesity rates since 2008.
Sixty-seven percent of U.S. adults drink alcohol, a slight increase over last year and the highest reading recorded since 1985 by one percentage point. Beer remains the favorite beverage among drinkers, followed by wine and then liquor.
Texas has the highest percentage of adults without health insurance so far in 2010 at 26.8%, while Massachusetts has the lowest(4.9%). Americans are most likely to be uninsured in states located in the South and West and least likely to be without coverage in the Northeast.
Residents of Hawaii, Alaska, and North Dakota led the nation in wellbeing in the first half of 2010, while West Virginians ranked last.
While more Americans may soon gain access to healthcare as provisions of the federal overhaul go into effect, Gallup finds 16.5% of American adults were uninsured in June, unchanged from the same month last year, but up significantly from June 2008.
Whether they've ever been deployed to a foreign war, active duty military personnel in the U.S. have similarly high levels of wellbeing, well above that of U.S. workers in general. Wellbeing scores decline somewhat for previously deployed personnel under the age of 30, however.
More upper-income Americans (55%) said their standards of living were "getting better" in June than have said so at any time since March 2008. Optimism about living standards is up across all regions, incomes, and age groups compared with June 2009 and June 2008.
The number of poor health days in a month triples among those aged 18-29 who have been unemployed more than six months, compared with those unemployed for less time. Young adults unemployed longer term also experience greater rates of physical pain and lower rates of rest and energy than shorter term unemployed.
The Gallup-Healthways Life Evaluation Index, a measure of how Americans' rate their present and future lives, was 50.8 in June, on par with May. This continues a pattern of post-recession recovery evident among Americans at all income levels.
Blacks score better than whites on Gallup's Standard of Living Index, mainly because blacks (64%) are more optimistic than whites (43%) that their standards of living are "getting better." Whites (77%) are still more likely than blacks (70%) to say they are satisfied with their living standards.
Active duty military personnel have higher wellbeing on average than U.S. workers as a whole, according to a new Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index analysis. Veterans, however, fall far behind U.S. workers overall.
Americans who have a child aged 18 or younger are less likely than those who have no child younger than 18 at home to report exercising frequently and are more likely to say they exercise zero days per week. Parents with children aged 18 or younger are also more likely to be obese and overweight.
Working Americans aged 60-69 have slightly better emotional health than those who do not work. Among those with good health, the difference appears to be driven not by employment status, but rather by health status; those who report better physical health are more likely to work and to have better emotional health.
The percentage of Americans who say they are feeling better about their financial situation -- a key measure of financial wellbeing -- remains down in early June after declining in May.
Despite a wobbly economy and daily news of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Americans' positivity about their current and future standing in life improved last month, pushing the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index score to 67.4 in May, the highest level recorded since tracking began in January 2008.
Americans who are unemployed for more than six months are much more likely to experience worry, sadness, and stress and somewhat less likely to report experiencing happiness and enjoyment than are those unemployed for less time. The longer term unemployed are also more likely to rate their lives poorly.
Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index data underscore the extent to which heart attack incidence is related to age, gender, and education. Americans older than 40, men, and those without a high school degree are significantly more likely to report having had a heart attack than their demographic counterparts.
The percentage of Americans who say they exercise for at least 30 minutes five or more days per week is increasing across almost all key demographic groups in 2010 vs. 2009. Those living in the West, men, seniors, and young adults are among the most likely to exercise often, as they were in 2009 and in 2008.
Each month this year, more Americans have reported exercising frequently than did so for the corresponding month in 2009, a positive reversal from last year's declines. However, levels of frequent exercise still remain below 2008 levels.