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United States Value:
Percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported their physical health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
Additional Measures:
Explore Population Data:
Appears In:
Percentage of adults age 65 and older with a household income of $25,000-$49,999 who reported their physical health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
<= 16.0%
16.1% - 17.5%
17.6% - 18.9%
19.0% - 21.0%
>= 21.1%
US Value: 17.4%
Top State(s): South Dakota: 11.5%
Bottom State(s): West Virginia: 23.9%
Definition: Percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported their physical health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
Data Source and Years(s): CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2022
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.
Frequent physical distress is based on self-reported poor physical health days. The measure aims to capture the population experiencing persistent and likely severe physical health problems, which may have a significant impact on health-related quality of life and overall wellness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has validated the cutoff point of 14 or more days of self-reported poor physical health during the past month as constituting a substantial level of physical impairment.
Frequent physical distress is associated with chronic health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is also associated with smoking, obesity and physical inactivity.
According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, populations with a higher prevalence of frequent physical distress include:
Strategies to manage frequent physical distress among older adults include exercise interventions that increase physical activity and encourage healthy lifestyle behaviors. Additionally, improving diet quality can promote healthy aging.
Chia, Fan, Wei-Yang Huang, Hsuan Huang, and Cheng-En Wu. “Promoting Healthy Behaviors in Older Adults to Optimize Health-Promoting Lifestyle: An Intervention Study.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 2 (January 16, 2023): 1628. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021628.
Dwyer-Lindgren, Laura, Johan P. Mackenbach, Frank J. van Lenthe, and Ali H. Mokdad. “Self-Reported General Health, Physical Distress, Mental Distress, and Activity Limitation by US County, 1995-2012.” Population Health Metrics 15, no. 1 (April 26, 2017): 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12963-017-0133-5.
Stellefson, Michael, Samantha R. Paige, Adam E. Barry, Min Qi Wang, and Avery Apperson. “Risk Factors Associated with Physical and Mental Distress in People Who Report a COPD Diagnosis: Latent Class Analysis of 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data.” International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 14 (April 2019): 809–22. https://doi.org/10.2147/COPD.S194018.
Zhao, Hang, and Tatiana Andreyeva. “Diet Quality and Health in Older Americans.” Nutrients 14, no. 6 (March 11, 2022): 1198. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14061198.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.