Education and income affect health levels considerably

An annual report on American's health reveals that individuals with lower income levels and lower education are more likely to develop chronic diseases than people with higher incomes and higher levels of education. The report, entitled "Health, United States, 2011" was conducted by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. Obesity According to the report, in 2007-2010, women aged 25+ were less likely to be obese (25%) if they had a bachelor's degree or higher than women who did not (39-43%) have a degree at all. In addition, children of parents with higher levels of education were less likely to be obese (11% boys - 7% girls) than children in households where the head of the household had less than a high school education (24% boys - 22% girls). Among adult males the prevalence of obesity did not differ consistently with level of education. Life Expectancy On average, in 2006, statistics showed that the life expectancy for women without a high school diploma was 8.6 years less than women with a bachelor's degree or higher. Life expectancy for men without a high school diploma was 9.3 years less than those with a bachelor's degree or higher. Physical Activity In 2010, 50% of adults aged 18+ did not meet federal physical activity recommendations for aerobic activity and muscle-strengthening. Adults age 75+ were significantly less likely to meet the recommendations (70%) than adults aged 18-24 years (39%). Tobacco Smoking In 2010, 9% of adults aged 25-64 years with a bachelor's degree or higher were current smokers compared with 24% of adults with some college education and 31% of those with a high school diploma or less education. In addition, smoking rates among U.S. adults age 18+ decreased from 21% in 2009 to 19% in 2010. Cancer Screening From 2000 to 2010, approximately 67-70% of women 40 years of age had a mammogram in the past two years. In addition, the percentage of adults aged 50-75 years who underwent a recent colorectal test or procedure rose from 34% in 2000 to 59% in 2010. Income Between 2000 and 2010, there was a 13% decrease in the percentage of children with a family income below 200% of poverty levels who were uninsured. The percentage of children with a family income at 200% to 399% of poverty level who were uninsured decreased from 9% to 7%, and the percentage with a family income at 400% decreased from 3% to 2%.