Half of Ohioans say they are healthy

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CINCINNATI — Half of Ohio adults (50 percent) reported that their health is excellent or very good. This number has remained stable since 2008. Results are from the 2014 Ohio Health Issues Poll (OHIP) funded by Interact for Health.

OHIP asked Ohio adults the following question: “In general, would you say your health is excellent, very good, good, fair or poor?” Research has made a strong and powerful link between a person’s response to this question and predicted length and quality of life.

“Many factors affect an individual’s health status,” says Jennifer Chubinski, director of community research for Interact for Health. “However, it is clear that certain factors, such as a higher income and better education, have a clear relationship to health.”

Better health reported among those with higher income, education

As previously reported by OHIP, better self-reported health is strongly associated with increased income. Six in 10 adults earning over 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) reported excellent or very good health. This compares to only 4 in 10 adults (39 percent) earning between 138-200 percent FPL, and fewer than 4 in 10 (35 percent) earning below 138 percent FPL. There is a similar association between improved health and increased education level. Nearly 7 in 10 college graduates (66 percent) report excellent or very good health, compared to only 3 in 10 adults with less than a high school education (31 percent).

Self-reported health decreases with increasing age

Ohio adults are also less likely to report excellent or very good health as their age increases. Among adults age 18 to 29, over 6 in 10 (63 percent) reported excellent or very good health; compared to only 4 in 10 adults (40 percent) over age 65.

More information about how Ohioans view their own health, and other topics, is available online at https://www.interactforhealth.org/ohio-health-issues-poll.

About the Ohio Health Issues Poll

The 2014 Ohio Health Issues Poll (OHIP) is funded by Interact for Health. The Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati conducted OHIP May 7-20. A random sample of 820 adults from throughout Ohio was interviewed by telephone. This included 489 landline telephone and 331 cell phone interviews. In 95 of 100 cases, the statewide estimates will be accurate to plus or minus 3.4 percent. There are other sources of variation inherent in public opinion studies, such as non-response, question wording or context effects that can introduce error or bias.

For more information about the Ohio Health Issues Poll, visit https://www.interactforhealth.org/ohio-health-issues-poll.