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IntroductionKey FindingsNational InsightsPrevalence of Unhealthy BehaviorsPrevalence of Multiple Unhealthy BehaviorsPrevalence of Zero Unhealthy BehaviorsOdds of Reporting Fair or Poor Health StatusState InsightsMultiple Unhealthy Behaviors: Education-Based DifferencesConclusionsAppendix 1Appendix 2Appendix 3Appendix 4FootnotesAbout United Health Foundation
Nationally, the prevalence of MUBs in adults aged 25 and older varied widely by education level; adults with less than a high school diploma were more likely to exhibit MUBs than college graduates. To explore this at a state level, the 2013 and the 2014 BRFSS datasets were combined and stratified by state and education level.
Figure 12 shows how the range between states in the prevalence of MUBs among college graduates (6.1%) is narrower compared with the range between states in the prevalence of MUBs among those with less than a high school diploma (18.9%). Among college graduates, the prevalence of MUBs varied from a low of 2.7% (95% CI: 2.3%-3.1%) in Utah to a high of 8.8% (95% CI: 7.3%- 10.2%) in Mississippi. Among those with less than a high school diploma, the prevalence of MUBs ranged from a low of 13.1% (95% CI: 11.2%- 15.0%) in California to a high of 32.0% (95% CI: 27.6%- 36.3%) in Michigan.
Figure 12 - Prevalence of Multiple Unhealthy Behaviors* in Adults Aged 25 and Older by State and Education Level (BRFSS 2013-2014)
Another way of looking at this difference in prevalence of MUBs is the gap between rates for college graduates and adults with less than a high school diploma (Figure 13). In California and Nevada, this gap is less than 10 percentage points, while in Alaska, Tennessee, and Michigan, it exceeds 20 percentage points. This is a two-fold difference between states with the lowest and states with the highest gap. Nationally, the gap is 15.8 percentage points, which is the difference in the prevalence for those with less than a high school diploma (21.2%) and college graduates (5.4%).
Figure 13 - Difference in Prevalence of Multiple Unhealthy Behaviors Between Adults with Less Than a High School Diploma and College Graduates by State** (BRFSS 2013-2014)