Selected health behaviors and perceptions among U.S. adults in 1990

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease among Americans were analyzed using data from the 1990 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention supplemental survey to the annual National Health Interview Survey. Adult Americans were found to be quite heart-health conscious. More than half reported having had their cholesterol levels checked; of those with admitted hypertension, more than 85 percent said it was "under control" or "cured," and 44 percent of men and 37 percent of women exercised or played sports regularly. Just over 60 percent of men and 68 percent of women acknowledged "a lot" or "a moderate" amount of stress in their lives, and significantly more women than men considered themselves to be overweight. Variations in these perceptions and risk factors by age, sex, race, region and other socioeconomic variables are presented. The vast majority of the respondents reported "very good" to "excellent" general health, with proportionately more men than women in each age group reporting "excellent" health.