TABLE 3.
Health Related Quality of Life by County Group, Stratified by Gender and by Age Group: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia; 2006
| Mountaintop Coal Mining, Mean (SE) | Other Coal Mining, Mean (SE) | No Coal Mining, Mean (SE) | |
| Women | |||
| Poor physical health (past 30 d) | 6.24** (0.37) | 4.99 (0.30) | 5.31 (0.13) |
| Poor mental health (past 30 d) | 5.78* (0.37) | 4.75 (0.31) | 4.65 (0.12) |
| Activity limitation (past 30 d) | 3.99 (0.32) | 3.03** (0.26) | 3.44 (0.11) |
| Healthy Days Index | 9.65*** (0.43) | 8.33 (0.37) | 8.35 (0.15) |
| Men | |||
| Poor physical health (past 30 d) | 5.77* (0.43) | 4.91 (0.37) | 4.28 (0.15) |
| Poor mental health (past 30 d) | 4.05* (0.12) | 3.45 (0.30) | 2.96 (0.13) |
| Activity limitation (past 30 d) | 3.89* (0.39) | 2.72 (0.29) | 2.77 (0.13) |
| Healthy Days Index | 8.11*** (0.17) | 6.97 (0.41) | 5.94 (0.17) |
| Age < 50 y | |||
| Poor physical health (past 30 d) | 4.35** (0.36) | 2.99** (0.28) | 3.45 (0.12) |
| Poor mental health (past 30 d) | 5.46** (0.41) | 4.54 (0.34) | 4.51 (0.13) |
| Activity limitation (past 30 d) | 3.18** (0.32) | 2.06** (0.24) | 2.45 (0.10) |
| Healthy Days Index | 8.04** (0.46) | 6.52 (0.39) | 6.79 (0.15) |
| Age ≥ 50 y | |||
| Poor physical health (past 30 d) | 7.43* (0.42) | 6.53 (0.34) | 6.13 (0.15) |
| Poor mental health (past 30 d) | 4.74* (0.36) | 3.94 (0.28) | 3.59 (0.12) |
| Activity limitation (past 30 d) | 4.52 (0.35) | 3.57 (0.28) | 3.80 (0.12) |
| Healthy Days Index | 9.83*** (0.46) | 8.77 (0.38) | 7.96 (0.16) |
Note. Nonmining counties served as the referent group. A Healthy Days Index was calculated by adding the number of poor physical and mental health days (unhealthy days) a respondent experienced during the past 30 days and subtracting that number from 30, with a logical maximum of 30 days.
*P < .05; **P < .01; ***P ≤ .001.