New Data on Region’s Health Released
Tuesday. December 14, 2004

PHILADELPHIA, PA, December 30, 2004 — This month, the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation (PHMC) released findings from its 2004 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, a major telephone survey of 10,000 households that examines the health of Southeastern Pennsylvania residents. 

This year’s Household Health Survey found that:

In SEPA, more than half a million adults report having a chronic condition such as asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure & cholesterol, heart disease, cancer, or allergies.
-12.0% of adults 18+ and 17.7% of children ages 0-17 have been diagnosed with asthma;
-6.3% of adults 18-64 and 19.1% of seniors have been diagnosed with diabetes
-12.2 % of adults 18-64 and 34.1% of seniors 65+ report having a sensory or physical disability. 53.1% of seniors living in poverty report having a disability, compared to 33.2% of seniors who are not poor.
-8.3% of seniors have experienced a stroke. 9.6 % of seniors who are male have had a stroke, compared to 7.4% of elderly women.

Lack of insurance continues to keep patients from seeking care in SEPA.
-37.7% of uninsured adults 18+ did not seek care in the past year due to cost concerns, compared to 6.9% of insured patients.
-35.3% of uninsured adults 18+ did not fill prescriptions in the past year due to cost concerns, compared to 11.8% of insured patients.
-50.4% of uninsured adults 18+ did not seek dental care in the past year due to cost, compared to 15.6% of insured patients.
-10.3% of uninsured adults 18+ did not seek mental health care in the past year due to cost, compared to 2.5% of insured patients.

Fewer adults received preventive care in 2004 than in previous years.
-In 2004, 36.5% of men ages 50 and over failed to receive a prostate screening, up from 30.2% in 2002 and 26.0% in 2000.
-In 2004, 33.0% of women ages 18 and up failed to receive a PAP smear, up from 30.3% in 2002 and 27.3% in 2000.
-In 2004, 35.4% of women ages 40 and over failed to receive a mammogram, up from 32.9% in 2002 and 31.4% in 2000.

A majority of adults 18-64 (57.1%) are obese or overweight, and a majority of children ages 6-11 (50.4%) are at risk for obesity.
-51.4% of adults 18-64 eat two or fewer servings of fruits/vegetables per day.
-45.1% of adults 18-64 engaged in physical activity fewer than 3 times per week.
-One in ten adults 18-64 ate fast food 3 or more times per week.
-29.2% of adults 18-64 have to travel outside their neighborhood to go to a supermarket.
-Obesity risk falls disproportionately on some racial and ethnic minorities: For example, 67.6% of black adults 18-64 are overweight or obese, compared to 62.1% of Latino adults, 55.6% of white adults, and 30.4% of Asian adults. In 2004, 61.5% of Latino children ages 6-11 were at risk for obesity, compared to 57.9% of black children, 46.5% of white children, and 38.0% of Asian children.

Hospitals, government agencies, universities, managed care organizations and others will use information from the survey to assess community health needs, address community health concerns, and plan and evaluate programs. The 2004 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey is conducted by PHMC’s Community Health Data Base project. The project, which was established in 1983, is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, The William Penn Foundation, The United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and a variety of participating agencies from the health, government, nonprofit, and academic sectors. In the past decade, the Household Health Survey has been conducted every other year. Key findings from previous years are available at www.phmc.org/chdb. PHMC is a non-profit, public health organization that is committed to improving the health of the community through outreach, education, research, planning, technical assistance, and direct services. PHMC is a Member Agency of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.