Table 1

Frequency distributions (weighted percentages unless indicated otherwise) of socioeconomic, demographic, and health characteristics of respondents, and their health-care utilization, by country: Joint Canada/US Survey of Health, 2002–03*


United States
 Canada
Variable
 Category
 Any DC care (n = 595)
 Total pop. (N = 5183)
 Any DC care (n = 448)
 Total pop. (N = 3505)
Socioeconomic and demographic factors:
Age (Years)
 18–44
 50.3
 52.3
 56.4
 52.3

45–64
 37.2
 31.7
 32.8
 32.1

≥ 65
 12.5
 16.0
 10.8
 15.6

Mean (SE)
 45.2 (0.7)
 45.4 (0.3)
 43.4 (0.8)
 45.1 (0.3)

Median
 44
 43
 42
 43
Sex
 Male
 43.4
 48.0
 47.0
 49.1

Female
 56.6
 52.0
 53.0
 50.9
Race/ethnicity
 White only
 80.2
 69.3
 86.8
 81.0

Other/multiple
 16.7
 26.4
 13.0
 17.7
Education
 No high school degree or GED
 8.4
 11.3
 15.1
 19.4

High school degree or GED
 35.8
 35.8
 32.4
 30.6

Some college
 14.1
 35.3
 20.2
 21.2

4-year college degree or certificate
 39.0
 35.3
 31.2
 27.3
Marital status
 Married or living with partner
 65.9
 61.3
 69.6
 64.7

Widowed
 4.6
 6.1
 3.9
 5.7

Separated or divorced
 11.4
 10.4
 7.8
 7.7

Single
 15.3
 18.5
 18.4
 20.9
Household income (adjusted for household size)
 Lowest quintile
 11.3
 15.3
 11.5
 17.0

Lower middle
 18.0
 16.4
 18.9
 17.5

Middle
 15.4
 14.5
 16.6
 16.1

Upper middle
 18.3
 15.2
 20.2
 17.6

Highest
 18.2
 14.8
 21.6
 16.0
Main income source
 Employment
 77.3
 72.4
 79.7
 75.0
Health status and chronic conditions:
Chronic conditions (lifetime history)
 Asthma
 13.1
 11.4
 12.3
 10.4

Arthritis
 23.2
 18.6
 20.3
 16.8

Hypertension
 19.9
 22.7
 13.0
 18.3

Emphysema or COPD
 1.8
 2.1
 1.2
 1.3

Diabetes
 5.1
 6.7
 3.9
 4.7

Heart disease
 4.7
 6.0
 4.5
 5.1

Coronary heart disease
 2.1
 2.4
 1.4
 1.8

Angina
 1.5
 2.9
 2.1
 3.7

1 or more conditions
 38.4
 36.8
 34.2
 33.4
Depression
 Episode in past 12 months
 11.2
 8.5
 9.0
 8.0
Mental health visit
 Visit in past 12 months
 14.8
 10.5
 14.5
 10.1
Emotional problems
 Happy and interested in life
 77.7
 77.9
 84.8
 80.8
Health Utility Index
 Mean (SE)
 0.87 (0.01)
 0.87 (<0.01)
 0.87 (0.01)
 0.88 (<0.01)
Self-rated health
 Excellent
 26.1
 26.4
 23.5
 24.0

Very good
 36.9
 32.5
 39.1
 36.4

Good
 24.9
 26.5
 25.3
 28.0

Fair or poor
 12.1
 14.6
 12.2
 11.5
Activity restrictions and lifestyle factors:
Pain/activity limits
 No pain or discomfort
 75.2
 80.6
 75.3
 82.0
Activity restrictions
 Often
 9.9
 10.1
 10.0
 9.6

Sometimes
 24.4
 18.6
 25.4
 19.8

Never
 64.6
 69.9
 63.9
 69.6
Back or neck problems
 Cause of activity limitations
 16.3
 9.1
 20.1
 10.4
Smoking status
 Current
 19.7
 22.3
 23.6
 24.8

Past
 28.4
 23.5
 31.5
 28.7

Never
 51.5
 53.7
 44.7
 46.2
Body weight
 Under/normal weight (BMI <25)
 40.4
 43.5
 47.6
 48.8

Overweight (BMI 25 – <30)
 32.9
 32.5
 35.2
 32.7

Obese (BMI > = 30)
 22.9
 19.8
 14.8
 14.8
Physical activity (past 3 months)
 Active
 22.0
 21.1
 27.0
 26.4

Moderate
 20.7
 20.2
 25.2
 25.5

Inactive
 55.2
 55.9
 46.9
 47.0
Activity frequency (past 3 months)
 Regular
 56.2
 55.0
 67.1
 65.8

Occasional
 18.3
 16.9
 18.4
 16.4

Infrequent
 23.5
 25.2
 13.7
 16.7
Health-care use and perceptions:
Hospitalization
 1 or more in past 12 months
 10.3
 10.2
 7.7
 9.1
No. of prescriptions
 1 or more in past month
 66.6
 57.5
 57.8
 55.2
No. of different prescription medications
 <3 in past 2 days
 47.3
 37.5
 44.4
 39.9

3–5 in past 2 days
 15.6
 14.2
 9.8
 11.7

6+ in past 2 days
 3.7
 5.6
 3.0
 3.3
Health insurance
 Insured in past 12 months
 89.2
 86.9
 NA
 NA7
Unmet health-care needs
 Any in past 12 months
 12.5
 13.1
 11.6
 10.7
Regular doctor
 Yes in past 12 months
 84.3
 79.5
 89.2
 84.7
Health care quality (past 12 months)
 Excellent
 41.6
 38.2
 33.6
 36.5

Good
 44.4
 42.5
 48.1
 43.3

Fair or poor
 11.1
 10.5
 16.7
 13.9
Health care satisfaction (past 12 months)
 Very satisfied
 50.8
 48.5
 41.2
 40.8

Somewhat satisfied
 35.9
 33.3
 40.7
 40.4

Less than satisfied
 10.3
 9.1
 16.1
 12.1
Quality of MD care† (past 12 months)
 Excellent
 59.6
 56.6
 52.3
 58.3

Good
 32.6
 32.6
 36.0
 33.1

Fair or poor
 5.2
 6.8
 11.1
 6.9
Satisfaction of MD care† (past 12 months)
 Very satisfied
 69.2
 65.2
 61.0
 64.8

Somewhat satisfied
 23.2
 25.7
 29.2
 27.0

Less than satisfied
 4.2
 4.8
 8.9
 6.1
Health-care use‡ (past 12 months)
 Any chiropractic care
 100
 11.4
 100
 12.9

GP care only
 0
 67.2
 0
 68.8

Both GP and DC care
 85.3
 9.7
 87.7
 11.3

Chiropractic care only
 14.7
 1.7
 13.3
 1.6

No GP or DC care
 0
 20.7
 0
 17.5
Chiropractic visits (past 12 months)
 0
 0
 88.5
 0
 86.8

1
 20.9
 2.4
 14.7
 1.9

2–5
 34.9
 4.0
 34.1
 4.4

6–10
 15.8
 1.8
 20.4
 2.6

11–20
 18.0
 2.1
 19.5
 2.5

21–30
 4.6
 0.5
 6.8
 0.9

31+
 5.8
 0.7
 4.5
 0.6

Mean, median
 8.22, 4
 0.94, 0
 8.80, 5
 1.14, 0
General practitioner or family doctor visits (past 12 months)
 0
 14.7
 22.5
 12.3
 19.1

1
 22.4
 22.8
 19.8
 21.8

2–5
 50.0
 41.8
 49.7
 42.8

6–10
 8.2
 7.4
 9.0
 7.9

11–20
 2.7
 3.9
 8.0
 6.6

21–30
 1.1
 0.7
 1.0
 0.7

31+
 0.9
 0.5
 0.2
 0.5

Mean, median
 3.18, 2
 2.84, 2
 3.69, 2
 3.31, 2
All health-care visits (past 12 months)
 0
 0
 6.9
 0
 5.2

1
 0.7
 7.3
 0.9
 7.9

2–5
 14.6
 38.6
 11.4
 39.0

6–10
 24.1
 22.1
 22.4
 22.3

11–20
 28.7
 15.3
 32.3
 15.5

21–30
 14.7
 4.9
 17.6
 5.7

31+
 17.2
 4.9
 15.5
 4.5

Mean, median
 17.11, 14
 8.69, 5
 17.97, 15
 8.66, 5

* Weighted percentages may not sum to 100 because of missing data or exclusion of certain categories; percentages weighted to account for age, sex, region (Canada only), and race/ethnicity (U.S. only); 595 and 5183 represent 23,513,576 and 206,417,185 adults, respectively, in the U.S.; 448 and 3505 represent 3,105,017 and 24,046,837 adults, respectively, in Canada.

† Most recent visit among respondents reporting at least one visit to a physician in the past 12 months.

‡ Weighted percentages sum to greater than 100 because categories are not mutually exclusive.

DC = Doctor of Chiropractic; SE = standard error; COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; BMI = body mass index; NA = not applicable; GP = general practitioner or family doctor; MD = medical doctor.

Hurwitz and Chiang BMC Health Services Research 2006 6:49   doi:10.1186/1472-6963-6-49