Self-Reported Health Status
In 2006, men were more likely than women to report being in excellent or very good health (62.2 versus 59.7 percent); this was true in every racial and ethnic group. Among both sexes, Asians most often reported that they were in excellent or very good health, followed by non-Hispanic Whites; non-Hispanic Blacks were the least likely to report being in excellent or very good health. Self-reported health status declines with age: 70.8 percent of women aged 18–44 years reported excellent or very good health status, compared to 54.5 percent of those aged 45–64 years, 42.4 percent of those aged 65–74 years, and 35.9 percent of those aged 75 years and older. Among those in the oldest age group, 27.0 percent reported fair or poor health, compared to only 6.2 percent of those in the youngest age group.
The rate of women reporting excellent or very good health also varies with income (data not shown). Women with family incomes of 300 percent or more of poverty were most likely to report excellent or very good health (71.1 percent), followed by 58.2 percent of women with family incomes of 200–299 percent of poverty. Only 42.5 percent of women whose family incomes were below 100 percent of poverty reported excellent or very good health.
