Arizona Health Survey

Mental Health, Well-Being and Disparities

admin2 — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 01:07:23 +0000

A majority of Arizonans characterize their general health and quality of life as being good to excellent, but a significant number have been diagnose by a doctor as having some type of mental disorder. In fact, almost 719,000 Arizonans report a diagnosis of bi-polar or manic depressive disorder; anxiety disorder or major clinical depression. 200,000 Arizonans – roughly the population of the town of Gilbert – are diagnosed with two or more such disorders.

Arizona rates for bi-polar or manic depressive disorder and anxiety disorder are higher than national averages, while depression rates are about the same.

Learn More

	Read the HealthTakes Summary Report
	Read the full report.

$2.4 Billion in Medical Debt

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 00:05:18 +0000

$2.4 billion. That’s how much medical debt Arizonans owe. This four-part series examines the extent of the problem, the effect of health insurance on medical debt, and the predictors and consequences of medical debt.

Medical debt is a significant and wide-spread problem in Arizona that causes substantial financial hardship. It also results in delays in people obtaining needed health care. What’s surpising: health insurance is no guarantee against medical debt. Health status, income, age, and whether or not children are in the household are better predictors of medical debt than health insurance.

Learn More

	See the Snapshot
	Watch the Video
	Read the HealthTakes Summary Report
	Read the full Report Series: Part 1: The Extent of the Problem Part 2: The Effect of Health Insurance Part 3: Predictors of Medical Debt Part 4: Consequences of Medical Debt

Resiliency

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:05:01 +0000

From information obtained through the Arizona Health Survey, we know that over 665,000 Arizonans have high to moderate levels of feeling hopeless, worthless, anxious and/or depressed. Ask that same group about their sense of control, purpose in life and ability to bounce back, and a surprising thing happens. Among those experiencing the highest levels of psychological distress, 76% consider themselves to be either highly or moderately resilient. The number improves to 99% among those reporting just moderate distress. (See the graph to learn more.)

This means that most Arizonans, even when they are undergoing high or moderate levels of stress, are able to overcome life’s adversities by tapping into their own strengths.

To Gustavo and PSA Art Awakenings, art is one of the powerful paths to transforming difficult and even debilitating life experiences.

Learn More

	Watch the Video
	See the Graph

Your Neighbors and Your Health

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:29:50 +0000

For years, it has been known that where you live matters to your health. Health-related problems are strongly associated with the social characteristics of communities. Factors such as poverty, employment, family structure and the race/ethnicity of a community help predict how healthy its residents are – even when individual attributes and behaviors are taken into account.

Much of the research to date has focused on how socioeconomic characteristics explain health disadvantages. But as we all know, many socially disadvantaged people buck such risk factors to achieve optimal health.

Our question: Can strong communities, where people feel connected to their neighbors, have a positive effect on your health? Can communities with strong social connections explain why some socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods fail, while others thrive? If so, what factors influence how connected people feel to their neighbors and their communities?

Learn More

	Read the HealthTakes Summary Report
	Watch the Video
	Read the Full Report

Insurance Coverage Among Arizona Adults

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:33:06 +0000

Abundant national research has shown that health insurance matters. It is a key determinant of access to health care. Those lacking health insurance are more likely to have poorer health status.

In 2008, one-in-five Arizona adults lacked health insurance coverage at least part of the year. For working age adults between 18 and 64, this number increased to 25 percent, or 950,500 Arizona adults.

Who are Arizona’s uninsured? What factors relate to whether someone does (or does not) have health insurance? Where do the uninsured live? And what effect does health coverage have on access to care, health status, and quality of life in our state?

These and other questions are addressed in SLHI’s report Health Insurance for Arizona Adults.

Learn More

	Watch the Video
	Read the Full Report

Chronic Conditions Among Arizona Adults

admin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:30:44 +0000

Americans are living longer, but we’re also experiencing increasing rates of chronic physical and psychological conditions. These conditions affect our health and well-being. They also are major drivers of escalating health care costs. Indeed, chronic conditions account for approximately 75 percent of our nation’s $2 trillion healthcare industry.

The 2008 Arizona Health Survey asked adults (18+) if they had been diagnosed with the chronic physical conditions of asthma, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis/other auto-immune disorders. The survey also asked about diagnoses of anxiety disorder, depression or bi-polar (manic-depressive) disorder.

In HealthTakes: Chronic Conditions Among Arizona Adults, we correlate responses on chronic conditions with answers to other survey questions, mapping out the prevalence, antecedents and consequences of chronic conditions among Arizona adults.

Learn More

	Read the HealthTakes Summary Report
	Watch the Video

redirect-Reports

admin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:00:56 +0000

redirect-Get Data

admin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:00:12 +0000

redirect-Survey Design

admin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:00:32 +0000