Excerpts from The National Health Survey Report, page II-10-11

The physician-diagnosed conditions respondents were asked about included: hypertension; heart attack; congestive heart failure; diabetes; angina; cancer; migraines, asthma; emphysema/chronic bronchitis; and skin cancer. Hypertension was reported by the largest percent (28%) of U.S. residents. Migraines (14%), asthma (11%), and emphysema/chronic bronchitis (10%) were all reported by at least one in ten respondents. Slightly less than one in ten U.S. residents reported having been diagnosed with diabetes (9%), angina (9%), skin cancer (7%), or cancer (7%) and about one in twenty reported suffering a heart attack (6%) or having congestive heart failure (4%). The distribution of these conditions approximates findings from disease-specific national studies. The appendix detailing the Healthy People 2000 Objectives for the Nation provides additional comparisons around these conditions. (Chart 19) Significant differences for physician-diagnosed medical conditions were found for such key categories as age, education, gender, health status, and type of insurance. The following are some of those findings: U.S. residents age 45 or older were more likely than those under age 45 to report being diagnosed with hypertension (45-64=32%, 65+=57% vs. 18-34=11%, 35-44=16%). Respondents age 65 or older were more likely than others to report having a heart attack, congestive heart failure, diabetes, angina, skin cancer, and chronic bronchitis. Conversely, U.S. residents under age 65 were more likely than those over 65 to report having migraines or severe headaches. U.S. residents having at least some college education were less likely than those with less than a high school degree to report having hypertension, heart attack, congestive heart failure, diabetes, angina, cancer, skin cancer, and migraines. However, there were no differences among those suffering from asthma on the basis of education (less than high school=12%, high school grad=10% some college or more=11%). Women were more likely than men to report having migraines (17% vs. 7%) and asthma (12% vs. 8%). Respondents who rated their health status as at least good (excellent, very good/good) were less likely than those with fair/poor health status to report having hypertension, heart attack, congestive heart failure, diabetes, angina, cancer, skin cancer, migraines or severe headaches, and emphysema/chronic bronchitis. U.S. residents with Medicare or Medicaid were more likely than those with Commercial/HMOs or no insurance to indicate that they have been diagnosed with hypertension, heart attack, congestive heart failure, diabetes, angina, and migraines. U.S. residents with Medicaid were more likely than those with Commercial/HMOs, Medicare or no insurance to report having asthma (23% vs. 11%, 7%, and 13%). Respondents with Medicaid were also more likely than those with other types of insurance and those with no insurance to report having chronic bronchitis (31% vs. Commercial/HMO=7%, Medicare=14%, and no insurance=10%).

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