1. Percentage lacking health insurance [  data] Definition: Based on the number of respondents who reported some form of health insurance coverage. Provides a measure of the level of access to health care experienced by members of a group.
Question(s) used in obtaining data: Do you have any kind of health care coverage, including health insurance, prepaid plans such as HMOs (health maintenance organizations), or government plans such as Medicare?
2. Percentage unable to afford a visit to the doctor [ data]
Definition: Respondents who failed at least once during the preceding year to see a doctor when they needed medical services due to the anticipated cost of such a visit. Provides a measure of the level of access to health care experienced by members of a group.
Question(s) used in obtaining data: Was there a time during the last 12 months when you needed to see a doctor, but could not because of the cost?
3. Subjective health status [ data]
Definition: Respondent's self-assessment of his/her general level of health. Those who reported 'fair' or 'poor' health were classed as having inferior health. If they reported 'excellent' or 'very good' health they were classed as having superior health.
Question(s) used in obtaining data: Would you say that, in general, your health is excellent, very good, good, fair or poor?
4. Percentage reporting hypertension [ data]
Definition: Respondents reported that they had been told at least once by a health professional that they had high blood pressure. (This probably indicates that their systolic pressure was above 140 or their diastolic pressure exceeded 90 or both. This provides a measure of the proportion of residents who are aware of their hypertension better than it measures the percent who, in fact, are hypertensives.)
Question(s) used in obtaining data: Have you ever been told by a doctor, nurse or other health professional that you have high blood pressure?
5. Percentage reporting high cholesterol [ data]
Definition: Told by doctor that blood cholesterol was high at least once. (This measure is limited to respondents who had their cholesterol checked. High cholesterol generally means a reading of 240 mg/dl or higher.)
Question(s) used in obtaining data: Blood cholesterol is a fatty substance in the blood. Have you ever had your blood cholesterol checked? How long has it been since you last had your blood cholesterol checked? Have you ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that your blood cholesterol is high?
6. Percentage reporting diabetes [ data]
Definition: Percentage of respondents known to have been diagnosed as having diabetes. This does not include diabetic episodes associated with pregnancy.
Question(s) used in obtaining data: Have you ever been told by a doctor that you have diabetes? (For women: Other than when pregnant?)
7. Percentage classed as overweight [ data]
Definition: Overweight is defined in terms of the body mass index (BMI). It is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of that person's height in meters. (The standard used to define overweight is gender-specific: 27.3 for women and 27.8 for men. This standard is approximately 120 percent of desireable body weight.)
Question(s) used in obtaining data: About how much do you weigh without shoes? About how tall are you without shoes?
8. Percentage with a sedentary lifestyle [ data]
Definition: Respondents who reported no physical activity or who engaged in a physical activity (or pair of activities) for 20 minutes or less for fewer than three times per week.
Question(s) used in obtaining data: During the past month, did you participate in any physical activities or exercises such as running, calisthenics, golf, gardening, or walking for exercise? What type of physical activity or exercise did you spend the most time doing during the past month? How far did you usually walk/run/jog/swim? How many times per week or per month did you take part in this activity during the past month? And when you took part in this activity, for how many minutes or hours did you usually keep at it?. . . Was there another physical activity or exercise that you participated in during the last month? (Other questions which measured how often and how long the respondent engaged in the activity were repeated.)
9. Current smoking status [ data]
Definition(s): Current smokers: respondents reported smoking 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and stated that they currently smoke (although they may not have smoked every day during preceding month or were unable to recall the frequency). Former smokers: respondents reported smoking 100 cigarettes in their lifetime but that now they do not smoke. Never smoked: respondents reported having never smoked 100 cigarettes.
Question(s) used in obtaining data: Have you smoked at least 100 cigarettes in your entire life? Do you smoke cigarettes now? On how many of the past 30 days did you smoke cigarettes?
10. Percentage reporting moderate use of alcohol [ data]
Definition: Respondents who reported that they did not drink alcohol, or drank fewer than 30 drinks per month and never more than 4 drinks on a single occasion.
Question(s) used in obtaining data: During the past month, have you had at least one drink of any alcoholic beverage such as beer, wine, wine coolers, or liquor? During the past month, how many days per week or per month did you drink any alcoholic beverages, on the average? A drink is 1 can or bottle of beer, 1 glass of wine, 1 can or bottle of wine cooler, 1 cocktail, or 1 shot of liquor. On the days when you drank, about how many drinks did you drink on the average? Considering all types of alcoholic beverages, how many times during the past month did you have 5 or more drinks on an occasion?
11. Percentage reporting acute use of alcohol [ data]
Definition: Respondents who reported that they had consumed five or more alcoholic drinks on one or more occasions during the month which preceded the interview. (Acute use of alcohol is also known as binge drinking.)
Question(s) used in obtaining data: Considering all types of alcoholic beverages, how many times during the past month did you have 5 or more drinks on an occasion?
12. Percentage reporting chronic use of alcohol [ data]
Definition: Respondents who reported that they had consumed 60 or more alcoholic drinks in the month which preceded the interview. (The number of drinks consumed was calculated as the number of days in which alcoholic beverages were drunk times the number of drinks consumed, on average.)
Question(s) used in obtaining data: During the past month, how many days per week or per month did you drink any alcoholic beverages, on the average? A drink is 1 can or bottle of beer, 1 glass of wine, 1 can or bottle of wine cooler, 1 cocktail, or 1 shot of liquor. On the days when you drank, about how many drinks did you drink on the average?
13. Percentage who reported driving after drinking 'too much' alcohol [ data]
Definition: Respondents who reported that they had driven a vehicle after having 'too much' to drink one or more times in the month which preceded the interview. (Also termed alcohol-impaired drivers.)
Question(s) used in obtaining data: During the past month, how many times have you driven when you've had perhaps too much to drink?
14. Percentage who fail to use seatbelts
Definition: Respondents who reported that they 'seldom' or 'never' use seatbelts when they drive or ride in a car. (This does not compare directly to the measure of seatbelt use published in Health Risk Factors in Oregon: County and Regional Estimates 1989-1994; Center for Health Statistics .)
Question(s) used in obtaining data: How often do you use seatbelts when you drive or ride in a car? . . . Always, Nearly always, Sometimes, Seldom, Never or Never drive or ride in a car. |