Changing Patterns in Health Behaviors and Risk Factors Related to Chronic Diseases, 1990–2000 (original) (raw)

2004, American Journal of Health Promotion

Purpose. Assess changes in chronic disease-related health behaviors and risk factors from 1990 to 2000, by race/ethnicity, age, and gender. Design. Stratified cross-sectional design. Setting. United States. Subjects. 16,948 black, 11,956 Hispanic, and 158,707 white women and men, ages 18 to 74. Measures. Cigarette smoking, obesity, sedentary behavior, low vegetable or fruit intake. From the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Results. Young women and men, ages 18 to 24, had poor health profiles and experienced adverse changes from 1990 to 2000. After the variables were adjusted for education and income, these young people had the highest prevalence of smoking (34%–36% current smokers among white women and men), the largest increases in smoking (10%–12% increase among white women and men; 9% increase among Hispanic women), and large increases in obesity (4%–9% increase, all gender and racial/ethnic groups). Young women and men from each racial/ethnic group also had high level...