Frequent Physical Distress - Age 65+ in United States
United States
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United States Value:
17.4%
Percentage of adults age 65 and older who reported their physical health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
Frequent Physical Distress - Age 65+ in depth:
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Frequent Physical Distress - Age 65+ by State: College Grad
Percentage of adults age 65 and older who graduated from a college or technical school who reported their physical health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
Frequent Physical Distress - Age 65+ in
Data from CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2022
<= 9.7%
9.8% - 10.7%
10.8% - 11.8%
11.9% - 12.7%
>= 12.8%
Frequent Physical Distress - Age 65+: College Grad
- CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2022
About Frequent Physical Distress - Age 65+
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:
- Older women compared with older men.
- Multiracial, American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic and Black older adults compared with white and Asian older adults.
- Older adults with less than a high school education compared with those with higher levels of education; college graduates have the lowest prevalence.
- Older adults with an annual household income less than $25,000, who have a prevalence nearly 3 times that of adults with an income of $75,000 or more; the prevalence is lower with each increase in income level.
- Older adults who have difficulty with self-care have a prevalence nearly 10 times higher than older adults without a disability.
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.
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