Table 1.
Prevalence of psychological distress and poor health
Percentage of male and female respondents aged 20 and older reporting health problems
| Males | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health indicator | All respondents | Panel respondents | |||
| 1993 | 1998 | 2000 | 1993 | 2000 | |
| Psychological health | |||||
| Sad | 12.0 | 28.9* | 27.5* | 11.4 | 24.2* |
| Anxious | 4.6 | 19.7* | 18.4* | 4.6 | 15.5* |
| Sad or anxious | 13.8 | 32.7* | 32.4* | 13.5 | 28.6* |
| Insomnia | 18.3 | 31.4* | 27.4* | 18.6 | 28.4* |
| Fatigue | 25.5 | 47.2* | -- | 25.2 | -- |
| Short temper | 11.8 | 28.7* | -- | 11.7 | -- |
| Somatic pain | 17.4 | 57.9* | -- | 17.0 | -- |
| General health status | |||||
| Poor general health | 10.7 | 11.4 | 11.6* | 9.7 | 15.1* |
| Sample size | 5,629 | 2,928 | 10,128 | 4,598 | 4,598 |
| Females | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health indicator | All respondents | Panel respondents | |||
| 1993 | 1998 | 2000 | 1993 | 2000 | |
| Psychological health | |||||
| Sad | 15.8 | 41.0* | 37.5* | 17.1 | 37.6* |
| Anxious | 7.3 | 25.9* | 24.4* | 8.5 | 23.6* |
| Sad or anxious | 17.9 | 44.1* | 42.7* | 19.9 | 42.2* |
| Insomnia | 22.3 | 35.0* | 32.6* | 23.6 | 35.9* |
| Fatigue | 26.3 | 54.0* | -- | 28.5 | -- |
| Short temper | 16.6 | 39.5* | -- | 18.1 | -- |
| Somatic pain | 20.1 | 62.0* | -- | 21.6 | -- |
| General health status | |||||
| Poor general health | 10.9 | 13.4* | 14.3* | 11.3 | 17.1* |
| Sample size | 6,892 | 3,222 | 11,271 | 5,957 | 5,957 |
Note: Prevalence estimates weighted to be population representative. Panel sample includes respondents aged at least 20 years in 1993 and interviewed in both 1993 and 2000. Asterisk (*) indicates column is significantly different from 1993 prevalence at 1% level.