Mental health woes are one of the top reasons for doctor visits. Depression and other mental health problems prompted 156 million Americans to visit doctors’ offices, clinics and hospital outpatient departments in 2005, according to March 2008 statistics from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Also, the number of mental health visits has increased 30 percent since 1996.

According to the analysis, the other top reasons for getting nonemergency ambulatory care in 2005 included:

* back problems, which prompted 139 million visits and cost $17.6 billion;

* trauma-related disorders such as fractures, which prompted 133 million visits and cost $27 billion;

* chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, which together resulted in 93 million visits at a cost of $12 billion; and

* high blood pressure, which resulted in 79 million visits and cost $10 billion.

The statistics, which come from AHRQ’s News and Numbers, are taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a detailed source of information on the health services used by Americans, the frequency with which they are used, the cost of those services and how they are paid.

For tables with the medical care costs of other conditions in 2005, visit www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/quick_tables_results.jsp?component=1&subcomponent=0&tableSeries=2&year=-1&SearchMethod=1&Action=Search.

________________________________________________________________

May 2008

What is the second leading cause of death by injury in the United States?

In 2004, poisoning became the second leading cause of death by injury in the United States, following motor vehicle crashes. That year, the state age-adjusted poisoning death rate ranged from 4.6 to 19.4 people per 100,000 population. States with the highest rates included West Virginia, where 19.4 poisoning deaths per 100,000 population were recorded in 2004. New Mexico, Utah and Nevada also had high rates, at 18.4, 17.7 and 17.3 respectively.

Nine out of 10 poisoning deaths in 2004 were caused by drugs, 7 percent by inhalation of gases and vapors, 1 percent by alcohol and 1 percent by other substances.

Among U.S. poisoning deaths in 2004, 69 percent were classified as unintentional, 19 percent were attributed to suicide, 11 percent were of undetermined intent and 0.3 percent were classified as homicides.  

The data are from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. For more information, visit http://wonder.cdc.gov/mortsql.html.

________________________________________________________________

What percentage of Americans purchase prescription drugs from mail-order pharmacies?

Among Americans who bought prescription drugs in 2005, about 13 percent purchased them from mail-order pharmacies, up slightly from the approximately 9 percent who purchased prescription drugs from mail-order pharmacies in 2000, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

About 37 percent of the Americans who bought drugs from mail-order pharmacies in 2005 were age 65 and older, about 88 percent were white and about 87 percent had private health insurance. Also, roughly 75 percent of the Americans who purchased drugs from mail-order pharmacies in 2005 had at least one chronic illness.

Between 2000 and 2005, the number of Americans who purchased prescription medicines from drug stores dropped from 65 percent to 61 percent; the number of Americans who purchased prescription drugs from pharmacies located in clinics, HMOs or hospitals dropped from 15 percent to 13 percent; and the number of Americans who bought prescription drugs from pharmacies located in supermarkets and super stores fell from 32 percent to 28 percent between 2000 and 2005.

The statistics, which come from AHRQ’s News and Numbers, are taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. For more information, visit www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st200/stat200.pdf.

From 2001 to 2005, the prevalence of regular physical activity increased 8.6 percent among women overall and 3.5 percent among men. The largest increases occurred among black women and men, increasing 15 percent among black women and 12.4 percent among black men from 2001 to 2005.

However, about half of adults do not engage in recommended levels of physical activity and racial, ethnic and educational disparities in activity continue to persist. For example, the 2005 survey showed that 52.3 percent of white men reported engaging in regular physical activity as compared with 45.3 percent of black men and 41.9 percent of Hispanic men. Likewise, 49.6 percent of white women engaged in regular physical activity in 2005, as compared with 40.5 percent of Hispanic women and 36.1 percent of black women.

The data come from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used to examine changes in the prevalence of regular, leisure-time, physical activity from 2001 to 2005. The prevalence of engaging in recommended levels of physical activity in 2001 and 2005 were examined by sex, race, ethnicity, education and age for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Studies show that regular physical activity can reduce the risk of chronic disease.

___________________________________________________________________________________

February 2008

What are the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century were:

* Vaccination
* Motor vehicle safety
* Safer workplaces
* Control of infectious diseases
* Decline in deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke
* Safer and healthier foods
* Healthier mothers and babies
* Family planning
* Fluoridation of drinking water
* Recognition of tobacco use as a health hazard

According to CDC, the top 10 achievements are not ranked by order of importance. Each is based on the opportunity for prevention and the impact on death, illness, and disability in the United States.

From 1900 to 1999, U.S. residents became healthier and their life expectancies increased dramatically. In fact, the average lifespan of U.S. residents increased by more than 30 years in the decades following 1900. CDC attributes 25 years of this gain to advances in public health.

For more information, visit  www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/tengpha.htm.