A new report by the U.S. Census Bureau says Americans are visiting the doctor less, according to an official press release.
According to the findings, in 2010, working-age adults made an average of 3.9 visits to doctors, nurses or other medical providers, down from 4.8 in 2001. Among those with at least one such visit, the average number of visits also declined, from 6.4 to 5.4 over the period.
Other findings from the report include:
- Most Americans consider themselves to be quite healthy: nearly two in three (66 percent) reported their health as being either “excellent” or “very good.” Another 24 percent said their health was “good,” while 8 percent described it as “fair” and 2 percent as “poor.”
- Non-Hispanic blacks were more likely to consider their health to be fair or poor (13 percent) than non-Hispanic whites (10 percent) or Hispanics (9 percent).
- Women were more likely than men to have visited a medical provider during the year (78 percent compared with 67 percent).
- Hispanics were the least likely racial or ethnic group to see a medical provider, as 42 percent never visited one during the year.
These findings are from the report, “Health Status, Health Insurance, and Medical Services Utilization: 2010.” Click here to view the report.
