MOST SEARCHED: Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index

Americans' Ability to Buy Food

In a recent report from Gallup Wellbeing, it was found that Americans’ ability to buy food is near a record low. The finding is based on data taken from Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index, a survey conducted from August 1 to August 31, 2013 of 15,729 adult Americans by landline and cell phone interviews.

The chart shows that the highest percentage of people (20.4%) who said that they do not have enough money to buy food was in August, 2008 while 20.0 percent reported the same in August, 2011 and August, 2013. In nearly 6 years of routine data gathering, it has only occurred three time that 20 percent or more of respondents report the inability to purchase enough food.

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Depression and Employment

In a recent report of the Gallup-Healthways Well-being Index, a survey conducted by landline or cell phone interview between January 1 and July 25, 2013 of a random sample of 101,195 American adults who have depression, Alyssa Brown and Kyley McGeeney say that "being unemployed, out of the workforce, or working part-time but wanting to work full-time are strong indicators of depression."

Respondents who report being out of the workforce are the most likely to be depressed (16.6%), followed by those who report being unemployed (11.4%) and part-time workers who prefer full-time work (10.6%).

Medicaid Recipients Most Likely to Suffer from Preventable Illnesses

A survey conducted by The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index shows that those who rely primarily on Medicaid are far more likely to have preventable chronic illnesses than those who receive insurance from their employer, union, as part of a military or veteran's benefit package, and those who are uninsured. More than 1 in 3 recipients of Medicaid are obese compared to 27% of those who receive insurance from their employer or union. Those on Medicaid are also three times more likely to suffer from depression than those who receive their primary insurance from their union or employer, with 22% of the former suffering from depression compared to only 7% of the latter. Also concerning is the fact that 16% of Medicaid recipients suffer from asthma, compared to only 6% of those who receive insurance from an employer or union.
Although these numbers are certainly cause for concern, it should be noted that recipients of Medicaid are usually living in poverty or are disabled, hence why they receive Medicaid. As Gallup notes, there is a strong correlation between poverty and suffering from poor health. Thus, these findings do not necessarily indicate that those on Medicaid are receiving poor quality care, but perhaps they are simply more likely to suffer from these conditions as a result of their poor socioeconomic status.

U.S. Obesity Rate Ticking Up

According to recent Gallup poll upon which the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is based, the adult obesity rate in the U.S. thus far in 2013, at 27.1%, is on pace to surpass rates in prior years. It is up from 26.2% in 2012 and much higher than the 25.5% found in 2008.

This uptick in obesity is accompanied by slight declines in the percentage of Americans who are classified as overweight and normal weight. The percentage who are overweight fell to 35.6% so far this year from 36.1% in 2012, while the percentage who are a normal weight slipped to 35.4% from 35.9% in 2012.

Gallup and Healthways began tracking Americans' weight in 2008. The 2013 data are based on more than 84,000 interviews conducted from Jan. 1 through June 20 as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Gallup uses respondents' self-reported height and weight to calculate body mass index (BMI) scores. Individual BMI values of 30 or above are classified as "obese," 25 to 29.9 are "overweight," 18.5 to 24.9 are "normal weight," and 18.4 or less are "underweight."

The upward trend in obesity thus far in 2013 reverses the lower levels found in 2011 and 2012. One possible reason why obesity has increased is that fewer Americans are exercising frequently, in 2013 compared with 2012. Gallup has found that exercising three days per week for 30 minutes per day is closely linked to having a lower BMI.

The American Medical Association officially recognized obesity as a disease, which could have implications for the way physicians, insurance companies, and the general population perceive and treat it. This decision, although controversial, could bring new resources to help with this significant public health problem, which affects more Americans now than it has at any time in the past five years. By classifying obesity as a disease, physicians may be more comfortable addressing the problem of obesity with their patients. At the same time, it could encourage more Americans to rely on complex and expensive medical procedures and treatments, rather than taking steps to lower their weight through exercise, healthy eating, and other lifestyle changes.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index tracks well-being in the U.S. and provides best-in-class solutions for a healthier world. To learn more, please visit well-beingindex.com.

Gender Gap in Well-Being among Veterans

According to a recent Gallup poll, female veterans of the U.S. military have a much better outlook on their lives than male veterans do. This finding comes from the survey of 353,561 Americans from Jan. 2 through Dec. 31, 2012 which is the basis for the data for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index . Among the general survey population, 48,690 respondents indicated they were a veteran, either retired from service or honorably discharged from the U.S. military. Female veterans were far more likely to rate their lives as "thriving" (54%) than their male counterparts (44%). While female veterans' life ratings are nearly on par with women in the general U.S. population, male veterans' ratings lag behind other men by a difference of eight percentage points.

The relationship between gender and well-being among veterans under the age of 65 is significant, even when controlling for employment status, income, race, education, geographic location, and whether or not one has children. Male and female veterans aged 65 and older are about equally likely to be thriving and they are just as likely to be thriving as their non-veteran counterparts. Among those aged 18 to 44, female veterans are 11 points more likely than male veterans to be thriving. And, while female veterans are just as likely as non-veterans to be thriving, men are significantly less likely than men in the general population of their same age group to be thriving.

Lowest Obesity Levels in Rocky Mountain State for Third Year in a Row

According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Colorado is the only state in the nation that has obesity levels below 20%, making it the least obese state since 2010. On the other hand, West Virginia boasts the highest obesity rate, with 33.5% of residents surveyed reporting that they are obese. This is more than 7% higher than the national average of 26.2%. With the exception of four states, there was little change in obesity levels from 2011 to 2012. Delaware was the only state that experienced a slight decrease in obesity levels while obesity rates increased in Georgia, New Jersey, and North Carolina.

As expected, Colorado also had the lowest rates of high blood pressure with only 22% of residents reporting high blood pressure, followed by 23.8% of Minnesotans, and 24.6% of Wyoming residents. West Virginia had the highest level of high blood pressure in the country, with 39.7% of residents reporting high blood pressure, followed by 38.4% if Mississippi residents, and 36.4% of residents in Alabama.

Additionally, many of the states with the lowest obesity levels and lowest rates of high blood pressure also had the lowest diabetes rates. Only 6% of Alaskans reported that they were suffering from diabetes, followed by 7.4% Colorado residents, and 8.1% of Montana residents. In Mississippi, 15.4% of residents surveyed reported that they had diabetes, marking the highest diabetes rate for any state. West Virginia came in a close second, with 15.2% of residents suffering from diabetes, followed by 13.6% of residents in Alabama.

Little Progress Made in Reducing Obesity Levels

Gallup reports that despite public campaigns aimed at encouraging healthy eating habits and reducing high levels of obesity, it appears that much more work is needed to combat the current health crisis. There were small changes in obesity levels from 2011 to 2012, with obesity increasing by 0.7% from 2011 to 2012. It is estimated that as of 2012, 26.2% of Americans are obese, 36.1% are overweight, and a little more than a third were a normal weight. These results are especially troubling, since obesity rates were expected to decline given that a higher percentage of Americans claimed to exercise frequently and more believed that obesity was a paramount public health issue.

Obesity levels varied by socioeconomic status, race, region, and gender. According to Gallup's study, 20.4% of those with incomes under $36,000 identified as obese. Among those with annual incomes above $90,000, only 21.2% were obese. African Americans continue to have the highest levels of obesity, with 34.9% reporting that they are obese. This is 8% higher than obesity levels among Hispanics, and nearly 10% higher than obesity levels among whites. Obesity levels are also highest in the South, with 28.1% surveyed reporting that they are obese, followed by 27.4% among people in the Midwest, 25% in the East, and 23.2% on the West Coast. Lastly, obesity levels were higher among men, with roughly 27.3% reporting that they are obese compared to 25% of women.

The Number of Uninsured Americans Age 18-25 Continues to Decline

A report on Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index indicates that the amount of uninsured 18-25 year-old Americans is decreasing. The number of uninsured 18-25 year-old Americans began to decline (from 28% to 26.3%) in the fourth quarter of 2010, after the passage of the Affordable Care Act. This act allowed Americans up to age 26 to stay on their parents’ healthcare plan. Currently, 23.2% of 18-25 year-old Americans are uninsured. While the passage of the Affordable Care Act had a significant impact on reducing the number of uninsured 18-25 year-olds, the number of uninsured 24-64 year-olds (20%) is increasing and the amount of uninsured Americans over 65 (3%) has not changed significantly. The increasing amount of 26-64 year-old uninsured Americans can be attributed to high levels of unemployment and the decreasing employee benefits. For instance, currently only about 44.8% of Americans receive employer-based coverage whereas 49.8% received employer-based coverage in January, 2008. In accordance, since January 2008, more Americans receive their health insurance coverage from a government plan (25.3% compared to. 22.9%) and more Americans are uninsured (16.9% compared 14.6%). But, it is important to note that that number of uninsured Americans over 26 can be expected to decrease once additional ramifications of the Affordable Care Act go into effect in 2014.

Global Wellbeing: U.S. Fails to Make Top 10

The U.S. failed to round out the top 10 among countries where residents were "thriving," according to Gallup's Well-Being Index. Denmark took the top spot, with 74% of residents rating their current and future lives high enough to be classified as thriving. Canada, The Netherlands, Israel, and Sweden rounded out the top 5. In the United States, 56% rated their lives well enough to be classified as thriving. Cambodia came in last, with only 2% of residents "thriving." Comoros, Laos, Togo, and Afghanistan rounded out the bottom 5. Ghana experienced a 19 percentage point gain, the largest gain among the countries, to bring the total percentage of residents thriving to 29%. El Salvador experienced the greatest decline from 2010, losing 22 percentage points and decreasing to 17%.

Hawaii Ranks First In Well-Being Index

Gallup recently released the 2011 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index scores for each of the fifty states. Gallup gathered the data through surveys conducted daily from January to December of 2011. The data are based on six sub-indices spanning from work environment to physical condition to emotional health. Altogether, these sub-indices comprise the Well-Being Index, which is calculated on a 0 to 100 scale. In 2011, the nation’s Well-Being Index was 66.2, down from 66.8 in 2010 and the lowest score since the study began in 2008. The five states with the highest scores were Hawaii, North Dakota, Minnesota, Utah, and Alaska, in that order, while Ohio, Delaware, Mississippi, Kentucky, and West Virginia marked the five states with the lowest well-being scores. Nine of the top ten states were located in the West or the Midwest, while Southern states accounted for five of the ten states with the lowest scores. Alaskans were the most likely to rate their lives as “thriving,” giving the state the highest score in the Life Evaluation Index in the nation. Massachusetts led the way in the Basic Access sub-index with a score of 86.6, indicating that the state’s residents have the greatest access to items essential to wellbeing, like food, medicine, shelter, a secure environment in which to exercise, and satisfaction with one’s community. On the other end of this metric was Mississippi, scoring 77.6 and ranking last in Basic Access for the second straight year. Hawaii’s residents performed the best in the Healthy Behaviors sub-index with a score of 68.9, meaning that Hawaiians have good eating and exercise habits, while also maintaining low smoking rates.

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