Survey finds married people are healthier

AORN Journal, Feb, 2005

A survey has found that married adults are healthier than divorced, widowed, or never-married adults, according to a Dec 15, 2004, news release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC's report, Marital Status and Health: United States, 1999-2002, was based on interviews with 127,545 adults as part of the National Health Interview Survey conducted by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. Study findings include that married adults are Less Likely than other adults to

* be in fair or poor health;

* suffer from health conditions such as headaches and serious psychological distress;

* be limited in their work activities and activities of daily living; and

* smoke, drink heavily, or be physically inactive.

The reasons for better health status among married adults cannot be determined by the data collected in the survey.

Married Adults Are the Healthiest, New CDC Report Shows (news release, Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dec 15, 2004) http://www.cdc.gov/od /oc/media/pressrel/r041215.htm (accessed 6 Jan 2005).