NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 6, 2013

Contact: Lulu Todorov (215.825.8202 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Results of 2012 Household Health Survey Released

PHILADELPHIA—Since 1983, Public Health Management Corporation’s (PHMC) Community Health Data Base (CHDB) has provided comprehensive local health and wellbeing data to assist health and human service providers across the Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) region assess community need, conduct advocacy, plan and develop programs, and guide policy decisions. As of February 7, 2013, CHDB is excited to announce the release of the data from the 2012 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey. “The results of our 2012 Household Health Survey provide an excellent snapshot of the wellbeing of our communities and their residents ,” says Rose Malinowski Weingartner, a researcher at PHMC. “They allow programs to better understand the needs of the people they’re serving.”

The Household Health Survey is one of the largest local health surveys in the county, and a unique regional resource. The survey provides timely information on more than 13,000 residents—both children and adults—living in the SEPA region, including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. This comprehensive health survey provides information on a broad range of topics such as health status and chronic health conditions, access to care, health behaviors, health screenings, and older adult social support needs. These data are available for analysis by small geographic areas, such as neighborhoods and counties, as well as the region as a whole.

The Household Health Survey first took place in 1983 and since 1994 has occurred biennially. The 2012 survey reflects an increase in the number of interviews taking place on cell phones. In fact, more than 2,000 interviews were conducted by cell phone for the 2012 survey. “Increasing the number of interviews done via cell phone further enhances our ability to represent all area residents,” says Malinowski Weingartner. “It helps us paint a more in-depth picture of the community.” Experts estimate that three in 10 U.S. households is reachable by cell-phone only.*

Over time, the survey has collected core health indicators, such as insurance status and cigarette smoking, which allow for the tracking of trends. Additionally, in response to changes in health and healthcare both locally and nationally, the researchers behind the 2012 Household Health Survey added some new questions that survey additional health indicators. Selected core indicators and selected new health indicators are highlighted below.

SELECTED CORE HEALTH INDICATORS

Insurance Status

In the SEPA region, 12.4% of adults ages 18–64 and 3.3% of children under age 18 are without health insurance coverage.

Among adults in our region, certain segments of the population are more likely to be without health insurance. In SEPA, younger adults ages 18–39 are more likely to lack health insurance (18.2%) than any other age group (ages 40–49: 9.8%; ages 50–59: 8.2%; and ages 60–64: 5.1%). Additionally, Latino adults under age 65 (26.2%) are more likely to be uninsured than their black (19.0%), Asian, (14.7%) and white (7.5%) counterparts.

Chronic Disease

Nearly a third of adults (age 18 and over) in SEPA (31.2%) have been diagnosed with high blood pressure. This is consistent with data from recent survey waves.

The percentage of adults (age 18 and over) in SEPA who have been diagnosed with diabetes has increased slowly over time. In 1991, 4.1% of adults were diagnosed with diabetes; in 2002, that number increased to 7.7%; and the 2012 data show that one in eight adults (12.5%) has been diagnosed with diabetes.

Cigarette Smoking

SEPA has not met the Healthy People 2020 target goal of 12.0%.

In the SEPA region, 18.3% of adults smoke cigarettes, representing more than 572,800 adults.

In Philadelphia, we can track this data back for almost thirty years.

In 1983, Household Health Survey data showed that 42.1% of adults (age 18 and over) smoked cigarettes. In Philadelphia in 2012, 23.3% of adults in Philadelphia smoked.

SELECTED NEW HEALTH INDICATORS

The addition of timely topics keeps the Household Health Survey dynamic and responsive to changes in health issues. Selected topic areas added to the 2012 survey are listed below.

Chronic Pain

Adults (age 18 and over) in SEPA were asked if they had chronic pain, that is, pain lasting six months or longer.

One quarter of SEPA adults (24.8%) have chronic pain.

Walk-in Retail Clinics

With a growing number of retail walk-in clinics popping up across the county, the 2012 survey included a question to assess whether adults have used such clinics within the past year.

In SEPA, 7.5% of adults received healthcare services from a retail clinic within the past year, representing more than 235,000 adults.

Perceptions of Cigarette Smoke

In addition to the smoking-related information collected as part of the survey’s core set of questions, a new question was included in the 2012 survey to assess adults’ perceptions as to whether smoke from other people’s cigarettes is harmful to them.

In SEPA, more than one in ten adults (10.5%) feel that smoke from other people’s cigarettes is not harmful to them.

Additionally, adults who smoke cigarettes (23.6%) are more than three times as likely as adults who do not smoke cigarettes (7.6%) to feel that smoke from other people’s cigarettes is not harmful to them.

Sedentary Lifestyle Behaviors

With a growing number of electronic devices available, much attention continues to be paid to sedentary lifestyle behaviors in the U.S. In addition to containing questions about physical activity, the 2012 Household Health Survey gauged the average number of hours that adults and children watched TV and used computers during their leisure time on a typical day.

In SEPA, 12.2% of adults watched less than 1 hour of TV, or did not watch it at all; 41.5% of adults watched between 1 and 2 hours of TV; and 46.2% of adults watched 3 or more hours of TV during their leisure time.

In SEPA, 15.7% of children age 3 and older watched less than 1 hour of TV, or did not watch it at all; 55.4% of children watched between 1 and 2 hours of TV; and 28.9% of children watched 3 or more hours of TV.

In SEPA, 42.4% of adults used a computer less than 1 hour, or did not use one at all; 36.3% of adults used a computer between 1 and 2 hours; and 21.3% of adults used a computer 3 or more hours during their leisure time.

Additionally, in SEPA, 40.2% of children age 3 and older used a computer less than 1 hour, or did not use one at all; 43.8% of children used a computer between 1 and 2 hours; and 16.0% of children used a computer 3 or more hours in the past month outside of their schoolwork.

Early Childhood Education

The 2012 survey included a question assessing the average number of hours that children age 5 and under spend in an early education setting per week.

In SEPA, one half of children (50.3%) do not spend any time in an early education setting; however, 17.3% of children spend between 1 and 9 hours; 8.7% of children spend between 10 and 20 hours; 11.7% of children spend between 21 and 39 hours; and 12.0% of children spend 40 hours or more in an early education setting.

Children’s Safety in Community

With children’s safety on the minds of many parents and caregivers, the 2012 survey included a question to assess how often caregivers feel children are safe in their community or neighborhood.

While the majority of children in SEPA are perceived to be generally safe in their communities (91.7%), 8.3% of children are perceived to be never or rarely safe in their communities, representing 64,200 children in our region.

For more information about the 2012 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, contact Rose Malinowski Weingartner at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

*See "Wireless Substitution: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January–June 2011” by Stephen J. Blumberg, Ph.D., and Julian V. Luke, Division of Health Interview Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics

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About CHDB

Public Health Management Corporation’s Community Health Data Base Household Health Survey is one of the largest regional health surveys in the country. The Pew Charitable Trusts, William Penn Foundation, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, United Way of North Penn, Green Tree Community Health Foundation, North Penn Community Health Foundation, Thomas Scattergood Foundation, Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, and over 350 local agencies from the health, government, nonprofit and academic sectors help to support CHDB. For more information, or to access key findings from previous years, visit www.chdbdata.org.

About PHMC

Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) is a nonprofit public health institute that creates and sustains healthier communities. PHMC uses best practices to improve community health through direct service, partnership, innovation, policy, research, technical assistance and a prepared workforce. PHMC has served the region since 1972. For more information on PHMC, visit www.phmc.org.