IN FRATERNAM MEAM: STUDY: MARRIED PEOPLE ARE USUALLY HEALTHIER

IN FRATERNAM MEAM

Monday, January 17, 2005

STUDY: MARRIED PEOPLE ARE USUALLY HEALTHIER

WASHINGTON--- Married people are
healthier than other adults, though husbands have
a tendecny to add pounds, says the National Center
for Health Statistics.

Released Wednesday, the center's report was developed
from a survey of more than 125,000 people. It did not
specify reasons. Health stastistician Charlotte Schoenborn
said there are two major theories.

One is that marriage might be protective of health. For
example, married couples could have advantages in terms of
economic responses, social and psychological support and
encouragement of healthful lifestyles.

A second possibility is marital selection,"the theory that
healthy people get married and stay married!" whereas less
healthy people either do not marry or are more likely to become
separated, divorced of widowed.

"Overall, this association between marital status and health
persists regardless of socioeconomic status, education and
poverty, where people were born or their ethnicity", she said.

The center reported that among adults 18 and over, 11.9 percent
said they were in fair or poor health.

Some 10.5 percent of married people reported being in poor or
fair health,while all other groups were higher. At 19.6 percent,
the widowed were the most likely to be in these categories.

"In general, married adults were the least likely to experience
health problems and the least likely to engage in risky health
behaviors, with the notable exception of being overweight",
Shoenborn wrote.

The report was based on survey of 127,545 people in 1999-2002
conducted by the center, a part of the federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.

In addition to reporting better health overall, the study found
that married people said they had less low back pain, fewer
headaches and less psychological stress. They also were less
likely to drink and smoke and were more physically active than
people in general.

However, they were not immune to weight problem. More than half
of all adults,nearly 57 percent, are overweight or obese, the
center said.

Some 70.6 percent of husbands were overweight or obese, compared
with 65.1 percent of all men. Some 46.6 percent of married women
were overweight or obese, virtually the same as the 48.5 percent
of women in general. The largest share of overweight women was
among the widowed, 53.2 percent.

(by Randolph E. Schmid/CHICAGOTRIBUNE/Associated Press)

posted by infraternam meam @ 2:39 AM

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