Table 3. Mean mentally unhealthy days in last 30 by demographic characteristics, chronic disease conditions, and risk factors Adults >= 18 Years, BRFSS 2009
Data and Statistics
The table below presents the mean number of reported mentally unhealthy days in the past 30 days by demographic factors, chronic disease conditions, and risk behaviors using the 2009 BRFSS.
The mentally unhealthy days question is one of four core health-related quality of life measures that have been monitored by states since 1993 using the BRFSS. The question asks “Now thinking about your mental health, which includes stress, depression, and problems with emotions, for how many days during the past 30 days was your mental health not good?”
Variable | Category | Number of respondents | Mean Number of Days | 95% lower * confidence limit | 95% upper * confidence limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 417,921 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.6 | |
Sex | |||||
Men | 158,935 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 3.1 | |
Women | 258,986 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.1 | |
Age group | |||||
18-24 | 12,576 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.2 | |
25-34 | 36,140 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.0 | |
35-44 | 58,333 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.9 | |
45-54 | 84,285 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.1 | |
55-64 | 92,163 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.7 | |
65-74 | 71,086 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.3 | |
75 or older | 59,837 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.2 | |
Race-ethnicity | |||||
White non-Hispanic | 333,713 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.4 | |
Black non-Hispanic | 32,303 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.4 | |
Asian | 6,936 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.4 | |
Pacific Islander | 683 | 4.3 | 2.7 | 5.8 | |
American Indian/Alaskan Native | 5,805 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 5.8 | |
Other non-Hispanic | 9,038 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.5 | |
Hispanic | 25,068 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.1 | |
Hispanic ethnicity | |||||
Yes | 25,068 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.1 | |
No | 390,691 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.5 | |
Educational level | |||||
< High school | 37,700 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.3 | |
High school graduate | 124,515 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.1 | |
Some college | 112,386 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 4.0 | |
College graduate | 141,922 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.5 | |
Annual household income level | |||||
<$15,000 | 39,744 | 6.8 | 6.5 | 7.1 | |
$15,000-$24,999 | 63,599 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 5.2 | |
$25,000-$34,999 | 44,047 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.0 | |
$35,000-$49,999 | 56,313 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.5 | |
$50,000 or more | 159,238 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.5 | |
Unknown/Refused | 54,980 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.5 | |
Employment status | |||||
Employed | 175,109 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.9 | |
Self-employed | 35,543 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 3.0 | |
Out of work one year or more | 9,734 | 6.6 | 6.1 | 7.0 | |
Out of work less than one year | 14,313 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 5.8 | |
Homemaker | 31,110 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.7 | |
Student | 6,468 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 4.0 | |
Retired | 116,451 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.3 | |
Unable to work | 27,438 | 10.9 | 10.6 | 11.3 | |
Marital status | |||||
Married | 236,667 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 3.0 | |
Divorced | 56,869 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 5.5 | |
Widowed | 58,230 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.5 | |
Separated | 8,229 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 8.0 | |
Never married | 47,233 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.3 | |
Unmarried couple | 8,924 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 5.4 | |
Body-mass index category | |||||
Underweight | 6,302 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 5.4 | |
Normal weight | 134,119 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.2 | |
Overweight | 146,239 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.3 | |
Obese | 112,585 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.6 | |
Cigarette smoking status | |||||
Current smoker-every day | 49,862 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 6.9 | |
Current smoker-some days | 17,899 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.5 | |
Former smoker | 126,122 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.3 | |
Never smoked | 221,420 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.9 | |
Binge drinking | |||||
Yes | 43,662 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.3 | |
No | 362,128 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.5 | |
Leisure-time physical activity | |||||
Yes | 304,753 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.1 | |
No | 112,705 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.3 | |
Has health insurance coverage | |||||
Yes | 373,574 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.3 | |
No | 43,369 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 5.6 | |
Self-rated health | |||||
Good-excellent | 337,391 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.7 | |
Fair-poor | 78,352 | 8.1 | 7.8 | 8.3 | |
Diabetes mellitus | |||||
Yes | 49,960 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.9 | |
No | 367,591 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.5 | |
High blood pressure | |||||
Yes | 161,724 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.3 | |
No | 255,366 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.3 | |
* A confidence interval (CI) describes the level of variability in a sample estimate and specifies the range in which the true value of the population that the sample represents is likely to fall. We use the 95% confidence level, which means that this population value falls within 95% of the confidence intervals estimated from samples of this population. When comparing the prevalence estimates of variables by categories, we recommend the use of confidence intervals. If the 95% confidence intervals of these estimates do NOT overlap, these estimates differ statistically significantly from each other at the 0.05 significance level.
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Measuring Healthy Days |
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