Just How Healthy are Adults in Arizona?
A lot of us would like to think we’re living pretty healthy lives, but according to recent data, that might not be true. One study found that the percentage of adults in Arizona who were obese in 2020 rose to 31 percent, which is up from 28.4 percent just five years prior. What does this mean for the health of Arizona adults? And how can we work together to fix it? Keep reading to find out more!
The Health Results for Arizona
Overall, Arizona’s adults are moderately healthy in comparison to many other states. There is still a lot of room for improvement, though. According to some data, 9.1 percent of adults in Arizona suffer from more than one chronic illness, like heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and depression. However, while more than 11 percent of Arizonans go without health insurance and avoid seeing a regular physician due to cost, this number has gone down steadily since 2017. This means Arizona adults are becoming more diligent about regular medical care to treat and prevent chronic illnesses.
The Results Among Arizona’s Gender Groups
It turns out that a greater percentage of Arizona women are unhealthy compared to men. The percentage of men in Arizona who describe themselves as being in "good" or "excellent" health is 53%, compared to 46% for women. Additionally, more adult women in Arizona report unhealthy behaviors than do adult men: 26% versus 16%.
Physical activity and diet can greatly affect our health—those who are more active and eat a healthy diet tend to be healthier than those who don’t. Men in Arizona are more likely to participate in regular physical activity (63%) than women (52%). Women are also less likely to engage in leisure-time physical activities (swimming, biking, jogging).
However, there is no significant difference between Arizona's men and women when it comes to eating fruits and vegetables every day. More than half of both genders (55%) say they never eat their daily recommended amount of these vital food groups.
The Results Among Arizona’s Age Groups
It's clear that some age groups in Arizona fare better than others when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. Although 28 percent of adults aged 25–39 said they ate fruits and vegetables every day, only 10 percent of those ages 65 and up said they followed suit.
Similarly, 24 percent of people under age 30 reported exercising vigorously three or more times per week, while 13 percent of adults over 65 did so. And while only 2 percent of Arizonans 75 years and older reported binge drinking often (five or more drinks at one sitting), 9 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds did so.
The Results Among Arizona’s Ethnicity Groups
Arizona has a good news story to tell when it comes to adult health. Of all of its ethnic groups, Hispanics have higher rates of healthy behavior than any other. Across all health indicators — diet, physical activity and tobacco use — 60 percent of Hispanics said they had excellent or very good health, compared with 40 percent of white Arizonans and 20 percent of black Arizonans. That's compared with just 5 percent for Latinos living outside Arizona and 2 percent for whites who live outside that state. When it comes to obesity, for example, 43 percent of Hispanics reported a normal weight (i.e., a body mass index between 18.5 and 24), as did 34 percent each of blacks and whites.
The Overall Health Rankings for Adults in Arizona
The United Health Foundation (UHF) has released its America’s Health Rankings Annual Report with a focus on adult health, and some states do better than others. In general, states that fared well had higher income levels, lower rates of smoking and obesity, more access to quality health care and higher percentages of adults who are college graduates. The UHF report examined a number of adult health indicators such as:
💪 Physical Activity
💪 Healthy Food
💪 Access to Care
💪 High School Obesity
💪 Teen Birth Rate
💪 Percentage with No Doctor Visit
In many ways, Arizona performed pretty well overall compared to other states; however, it ranked poorly when it came to accessing care, physical activity levels, and low birth weight infants.
How Can Arizonans Improve Their Health?
If you live in Arizona and want to improve your health, there are several things you can do:
💖 Have you checked your hormonal balance lately? We provide Hormone Treatments and Testosterone Replacement Therapy
💖 How’s your body mass index? We can help you reach your weight loss goals with RX Lean medical weight loss treatments in Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona.
💖 Are you suffering from anxiety, depression, or substance abuse? Lifestyle Health provides family medicine to treat all of these ailments and more.
💖 And let us not forget about healthy eating, proper hydration, good sleep habits, and exercise!
Remember that a healthy lifestyle is not something that just happens overnight; change takes time. Don't expect too much of yourself too quickly, or you're likely to burn out or give up. Focus on making small changes over time; slowly your habits will change and ultimately so will your life!
Book a Consultation for Adult Health Services in Arizona
If you're ready to make a positive change for your overall health, our qualified team of medical professionals at Lifestyle Health are here to help. Book a consultation or get started with one of our Primary Care Services, like nutritional, lifestyle, and fitness counseling or wellness and physical exams. Telehealth appointments are also available, if applicable. We can help you start feeling your best, regardless of where you are in life!
Get Your Health Back On Track
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