Health News
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Health News
Survey suggests Great Recession has harmed the health of Kentuckians
A recent poll shows continuation of a trend threatening Kentucky's overall health: as the number of Kentuckians living in poverty goes up, the percentage of adults who report their health as excellent or very good goes down.
Just over four in 10 Kentucky adults in the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll described their health as excellent or good. In 2008, almost half used those descriptions.
People with higher incomes have consistently reported better health since the poll began tracking the health status of Kentucky adults 2008. Since research has shown a strong link between higher income and better health, the Great Recession and the resulting increases in unemployment, underemployment and poverty appear to be harming the overall health of Kentucky?s population.
In the accompanying graph, showing responses by income categories, FPL stands for federal poverty level, which in 2011 was a yearly household income of $22,350. Among the categories, 58 percent in the highest category said their health is excellent or good, but only 25 percent of those living in poverty used those descriptions.
Although the health status for each income category has remained fairly constant, the poll reflects federal data that show more people living in poverty. More than 33 percent in the latest poll were earning less than the federal poverty level; in 2008, that was only 19 percent. The polls, which used self-reporting of income and survey methods that differ from federal methods, showed much higher poverty rates than federal data.
?We know there is a direct relationship between income and good health, and these data reflect that,? said Dr. Susan Zepeda, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, a sponsor of the poll. ?While changes in our health-care delivery system may provide more health-care opportunities for low-income Kentuckians, these results show how vital a strong economy, and jobs that pay well, are to our population?s health.?
The poll, co-sponsored by the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, was taken Sept. 20 through Oct. 14 by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. A random sample of 1,680 adults throughout Kentucky was interviewed by landline and cell telephones. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
People with higher incomes have consistently reported better health since the poll began tracking the health status of Kentucky adults 2008. Since research has shown a strong link between higher income and better health, the Great Recession and the resulting increases in unemployment, underemployment and poverty appear to be harming the overall health of Kentucky?s population.
In the accompanying graph, showing responses by income categories, FPL stands for federal poverty level, which in 2011 was a yearly household income of $22,350. Among the categories, 58 percent in the highest category said their health is excellent or good, but only 25 percent of those living in poverty used those descriptions.
?We know there is a direct relationship between income and good health, and these data reflect that,? said Dr. Susan Zepeda, president and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, a sponsor of the poll. ?While changes in our health-care delivery system may provide more health-care opportunities for low-income Kentuckians, these results show how vital a strong economy, and jobs that pay well, are to our population?s health.?
The poll, co-sponsored by the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, was taken Sept. 20 through Oct. 14 by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. A random sample of 1,680 adults throughout Kentucky was interviewed by landline and cell telephones. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
- Poll Illustrates How Having Insurance And Access To A Health Care Provider Doesn't Mean You Can Afford The Care
Just because a person has appropriate access to a health care provider doesn't mean they can afford to pay for their services, according to the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll. The poll found that three out of every four Kentuckians with health...
- Economic Upturn Boosts Share Of Kentuckians On Employer-based Health Coverage; Health Reform Boosts Number On Public Plans
Half of Kentucky's working-age adults now get health insurance through their employers, up from 37 percent two years ago, reversing a downward trend that began with the Great Recession. Meanwhile, under federal health reform, many more Kentuckians...
- One Of Every Three Kentucky Adults Didn't See A Dentist Last Year; Key Factors Are Overall Health, Insurance And Income
More than a third of Kentucky adults say they didn't go to a dentist last year, and one in six said they hadn't in five years or more, according to the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll. The results show the challenges Kentucky adults who are...
- Poll Shows Kentucky Health-care Providers Often Fail To Discuss Hiv Testing With Patients
A new poll suggests that most Kentucky health-care providers follow guidelines for discussing HIV screening with their patients, despite the the importance of early treatment to prevent its progression to AIDS. Although the Centers for Disease Control...
- 28% Of Ky. Adults 18-64 Say They Lack Health Coverage; 41% Lacked It Sometime In Last Year; Employer Coverage Down Since '08
Nearly three in 10 working-age adults in Kentucky are not covered by any form of health insurance, and the number who get health insurance from their employer, or their spouse?s employer, has plummeted since 2008, the first year of the Great Recession,...