Description of Indicator
This indicator tracks several health risk factors across gender, age, education, household income, race, and sexual orientation in Pennsylvania. These factors include obesity, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, and binge drinking.
Why is it Important?
These health risk factors heighten susceptibility to a variety of serious health problems and increase potential for poor health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, and cancer. These factors subsequently put pressure on the healthcare system and limit the ability of affected individuals to participate in the workforce, therefore limiting earning potential, housing security, and overall quality of life.
How is the Region Performing?
Across Pennsylvania, 71 percent of people identifying as men are overweight or obese, compared to 64 percent of women. The same is true for people who are Black (75 percent), compared to people who are White (68 percent). Lower levels of education and income are also related to relatively high shares of obesity.
Women are more likely than men to report limited physical activity (26 percent and 19 percent, respectively). Individuals with lower educational attainment and income levels are likelier than others to report limited physical activity.
Tobacco use varies considerably across the populations analyzed, although people 65 or older, people with college degrees, and people with incomes over $75,000 are least likely to smoke.
Binge drinking is more common among men than women. It is also more common among people who are White compared to people who are Black. The prevalence of binge drinking decreases with age, but it increases somewhat with education and income level.