Title: A presentation of key findings from a national survey about prevention and wellness
1A presentation of key findings from a national
survey about prevention and wellness
2Methodology
Public Opinion Strategies and Lake Research
Partners are pleased to present the key findings
from a national survey of 800 likely voters
conducted July 26-30, 2006. A survey of this
size has a margin of error of 3.5.
3What We Covered
- A brief overview of the national political
environment - Measuring the salience of preventive health care
in relation to some of the more traditional
gubernatorial issues - Understanding voters attitudes and awareness of
preventive health care, and, - Testing preventive health care proposals from the
NGA prevention and wellness initiative.
4Summary Observations
Americans today are much better informed than
they were a generation ago about the benefits of
preventive health care. Today, 46 of voters say
they are "very well informed" about the subject
of preventive care. Compare that to the 19 who
said they were very well informed in 1978.
1.
5Summary Observations
Voters understand the importance of preventive
care, and 55 of those surveyed say we need more
emphasis on prevention as an approach to health
and sickness. Just 18 say we need more emphasis
on treatment. Within the margin of error, the 55
who say the emphasis should be on prevention
represents the highest percentage recorded in the
last 23 years.
2.
6Summary Observations
- We are a country facing a critical health
challenge. - Forty-eight percent (48) of those surveyed feel
they need to lose weight. - Four out of ten (40) respondents believe they
need to lose more than ten pounds. - One out of four Americans (25) have not sought
preventive care over the last year because of
costs. - Voters do believe that better preventive care
could contribute to a better quality of life AND
reduced health care costs. Demonstrating the
relationship between preventive care and reduced
costs is critical because of the overriding
concern voters have about health care costs.
3.
7Summary Observations
- We tested a series of 14 NGA preventive health
care proposals. The three proposals that resonate
with the greatest intensity include - Increasing access to preventive health programs
for the uninsured. - Making physical education mandatory 30 minutes a
day in elementary school and 45 minutes a day in
middle and high school. - Increasing access to immunizations, dental care,
and pre-natal care for low-income families.
4.
8Political Environment
9National Political Environment
Mood of Country
Right Direction
Wrong Track
Now, generally speaking, would you say that
things in the COUNTRY are going in the right
direction, or have they pretty seriously gotten
off on the wrong track?
10Voters have very different perceptions of their
own governors.
Governor Job Approval Overall and By Region
Overall
By Region
And, thinking about things in your state... Do
you approve or disapprove of the job GOVERNOR
(INSERT NAME) is doing?
11Profiling Voters' Health Status
12Voters were asked a series of questions about
their personal health including
- Using these four questions we were able to create
a health matrix composed of four mutually
exclusive categories of voters defined by their
level of health/fitness. - How they rate their personal health
- Excellent
- Very good
- Good
- Fair..or..
- Poor
- How often they exercise
- Five days a week or more
- Three to four days a week
- One to two days a weekor
- No time to exercise on a regular basis.
- Their status as a smoker
- Current smoker
- Occasional smoker
- Former smoker..or
1.
2.
3.
4.
13The Health Matrix
- Super Fit (20)
- Their personal health is excellent or very good
AND, - They exercise 3 days or more per week AND
- They do not smoke, nor were they a former smoker
AND, - They drank 3 or less alcoholic beverages in the
last seven days. - The Aspirers (25)
- non-smokers AND
- Their personal health is excellent or very good
OR - They exercise 3 days or more per week.
- Average Joes (42) includes respondents who may
- Have good personal health OR
- Exercise 1-2 days per week.
- Couch Potatoes (13) meet any two of the
following - Their personal health is fair or poor OR
- They do not have the time to exercise on a
regular basis OR - They are a current or occasional smoker.
14A Critical National Health Challenge
15Problem 1 Nearly half of all Americans want to
do something to significantly reduce their
weight and four out of ten Americans say they
would like to lose more than ten pounds.
Dieting Status
Desired Weight Loss
48 of Americans feel they need to lose weight.
Feel need to lose weight, not dieting
Currently dieting to lose weight
Fairly satisfied with weight
More than 10 lbs
Less than 10 lbs
Are you currently dieting in an attempt to lose
weight, do you feel like you need to lose weight
but are not dieting, or are you fairly satisfied
with your current weight?
And do you feel like you need to lose less than
ten pounds or more than ten pounds?
16Problem 2 25 of voters have not sought
preventive care sometime in the last year because
of costs.
Profile of voters who have not sought preventive
care because of costs
- More likely to rate their own health as only fair
or poor (24) than the electorate overall (17). - One-quarter (24) of these people dont have
time to exercise on a regular basis. Nearly
half (46) of these Americans say they need to
lose more than 10 pounds. - They have much lower incomes than those for whom
cost was not a prohibiting factor. Forty-five
percent (45) of those who did not seek care
because of costs have incomes of less than
40,000. In contrast, those for whom cost was
not a factor, just 28 have incomes less than
40,000. - These voters are just a bit younger than the
overall sample. Among the voters who did not
seek care because of costs, 62 are younger than
age 55 and 37 are age 55 and older. Of the
total sample, 55 are younger than age 55 and 45
are age 55 and older. - These voters are a little less Republican (31)
and more Independent (26) than the electorate
overall. Forty-one percent (41) are Democrats.
They split their presidential vote 43 Bush/45
Kerry. - These voters are just a few ticks higher in their
minority percentage (26) than the overall sample
(21). - They are employed 59 of voters who did not
seek care because of costs work outside the home
compared to 57 for those whom cost was not a
factor.
17Putting Prevention in Context
18Making health care more affordable is one of the
goals voters have for governors.
Most Important Issue
19
Economy and Jobs Education Affordable health
care Illegal Immigration Taxes Gas
Prices Protecting Senior Citizens Moral
Values Balancing State Budget Crime/Illegal Drugs
16
13
10
9
7
7
7
5
3
Which ONE of the following issue areas would be
MOST important to you in deciding how to vote for
GOVERNOR? And which goal would be the NEXT MOST
important for the country in reforming our health
care system?
19Health care affordability is a particularly
important issue for older voters.
Affordable Health Care as Most Important Issue By
Age
Which ONE of the following issue areas would be
MOST important to you in deciding how to vote for
GOVERNOR? Is it..
20Affordability and access are two of the most
important goals. We have to link affordability
and prevention to make prevention an even more
compelling topic.
Most Important Goal in Reforming Health Care
System
Making health care more affordable
34
Providing basic health insurance coverage to all
Americans
32
Focusing on prevention wellness to help people
before they get sick
12
Making sure people can select the doctor or
hospital of their choice
9
Maintaining the high quality of American health
care
7
Making sure the system allows new medical
technologies
4
Now, here are five goals that could be followed
in changing our health care system. Which one of
the following goals is most important for the
country and should receive the greatest attention
in reforming our health care system?
21Voters are generally satisfied with their health
care coverage for preventive care. The overall
cost of health care is truly the driving concern.
Satisfaction with Aspects of Medical Care
The quality of health care you receive
Your access to a wide selection of doctors
The health care coverage you receive for
preventive care
The overall cost of your health care
Now, I am going to mention some specific aspects
of medical care, and for each one, I would like
you to tell me whether you are very satisfied,
somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or
very dissatisfied.
22Across respondents of every income level, the
overall cost of health care is an overriding
concern, while they express higher satisfaction
with preventive care. To meaningfully engage
voters on the issue of preventive care, it has to
be linked to the fundamental concerns voters have
about costs.
Satisfaction with Aspects of Medical Care By
Income
Now, I am going to mention some specific aspects
of medical care, and for each one, I would like
you to tell me whether you are very satisfied,
somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or
very dissatisfied.
23Prevention Attitudes Awareness
24A majority of Americans feel we need to give more
emphasis to prevention.
Approach to Health and Sickness
There are two approaches to health and sickness
one approach treatment which seeks to cure
sickness, and another approach prevention
which seeks to prevent sickness. At the moment,
do you think that health care services in your
area have got the right balance between treatment
and prevention, or should we be giving more
emphasis to treatment, or more emphasis to
prevention?
More emphasis to prevention
More emphasis to treatment
Right balance
25Over the last generation, Americans have focused
a bit more on emphasizing prevention.
More Emphasis to Prevention Trend
Trend data from national Prevention Magazine
surveys among1250 adults.
There are two approaches to health and sickness
one approach treatment which seeks to cure
sickness, and another approach prevention
which seeks to prevent sickness. At the moment,
do you think that health care services in your
area have got the right balance between treatment
and prevention, or should we be giving more
emphasis to treatment, or more emphasis to
prevention?
26The super fit are even more likely to subscribe
to the prevention theory of wellness.
Approach to Health and Sickness by Health
Conscious
There are two approaches to health and sickness
one approach treatment which seeks to cure
sickness, and another approach prevention
which seeks to prevent sickness. At the moment,
do you think that health care services in your
area have got the right balance between treatment
and prevention, or should we be giving more
emphasis to treatment, or more emphasis to
prevention?
27Over the last three decades, there has been a
dramatic shift in how well-informed people
believe they are about preventive care.
Informed About Preventive Health Care
19 Very
46 Very
Trend data from National General Mills survey
conducted by Yankelovice, Skelly White among
1254 adults.
When it comes to the subject of preventive health
care, do you feel that you are
28Older individuals are more confident about their
knowledge of preventive care.
Informed About Preventive Health Care By Age
32 Very
46 Very
47 Very
49 Very
52 Very
When it comes to the subject of preventive health
care, do you feel that you are
29Even the couch potatoes claim a high level of
knowledge about preventive care.
Informed About Preventive Health Care By Age
55 Very
46 Very
44 Very
42 Very
When it comes to the subject of preventive health
care, do you feel that you are
30To gauge general awareness about the impact of
prevention, respondents were read a series of
statements, and asked to agree or disagree with
each one.
- Early diagnosis and management of chronic
conditions, like high blood pressure and
diabetes, can significantly improve patient
health. - With regular exercise and a healthy diet, your
chances of living a longer, healthier life
increase dramatically. - Early diagnosis and management of chronic
conditions, like high blood pressure and
diabetes, can cut significantly down on medical
costs. - By increasing access to routine preventive
medical care, we not only improve the quality of
life for many Americans, but our country can
realize greater economic benefit through fewer
sick days and higher worker productivity. - If more money were spent on preventive health
care and health education, it would save money
because fewer people would be sick or need
treatment. - Even modest reductions in the death rate from
common diseases that could have been prevented or
treated would more than make up for the amount of
money we spend on health care.
31Voters strongly agree that preventive health care
could positively contribute to a better quality
of life and, importantly, reduce costs.
32Prevention as an Election Issue
33ISSUES IN GUBERNATORIAL RACES.
Respondents were read a series of statements
about issues likely to be debated in their race
for governor. Respondents were asked to rate
each statement on a one to one hundred scale,
where one means this proposal would make them
have a cold/very unfavorable feeling towards the
candidate and one hundred means this proposal
would make them have a warm/very favorable
feeling towards the candidate, and fifty is
neutral. They were told they could of course,
choose any number between one and one hundred
depending on how they feel.
34Issues tested
- Prescription Drugs
- The candidate for governor says our states
seniors deserve better care and attention. This
means helping them get the prescription drugs
they need at affordable prices. - Crime
- The candidate for governor says we need a new
focus in battling crime in our state. The
candidate proposes a zero tolerance policy for
sexual predators including making them wear GPS
tracking devices, and aggressively fighting the
war on meth and illegal drugs. - Education
- The candidate for governor says education is our
states top priority. We need to invest more in
our schools to make sure that there is a quality
teacher in every classroom, that students have
the resources they need to succeed, and schools
are held accountable for their achievement.
35Issues tested continued
- Health Prevention
- The candidate for governor says we need a new
focus on health prevention to prevent diseases in
the first place and encourage healthy lifestyle
choices. A focus on prevention and wellness helps
you and your family live healthier, longer, and
more active lives. And, a healthier America not
only improves our overall quality of life, but it
also lowers the cost of health care and improves
worker productivity that benefits our economy. - Uninsured/Tax incentives
- The candidate for governor says too many people
in our state lack basic health care coverage,
including children and working families. To get
families the coverage they need and deserve, we
are going to offer companies tax incentives to
provide their employees with health care
coverage. - Uninsured/Cover Kids/Purchasing Pools
- The candidate for governor says too many in our
state lack basic health care coverage, including
children and working families. To get families
the coverage they need and deserve, we support
making all children eligible for the state's
health care program, and creating a health
insurance purchasing pool for small businesses
and self-employed individuals.
36Preventive care as a gubernatorial message ranks
right up there with todays most pressing
concerns.
Favorable of Candidate Based on Issue
37In the prevention message, there is something to
appeal to voters across the political spectrum.
Preventive Health Message by Party
38Rating the NGA Proposals
39Respondents were read a series of preventive
health care proposals taken from NGA prevention
and wellness materials. They rated each proposal
on a one to ten scale of importance, where one
means it is NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL that the
governor implement this proposal and ten means it
is VERY IMPORTANT that the governor implement
this proposal. Respondents were further told,
although many of these proposals may be
important, please try to rate them according to
what is MOST important to you, and they could, of
course, use any number between one and ten.
40People feel most strongly about prevention
proposals focused on the uninsured and increasing
physical education in schools.
Top Tier Proposals
10 Mean
A proposal to increase access to preventive
health programs for the uninsured including
health screenings for the early detection of
cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, as well as
tobacco prevention education, and healthy
lifestyle programs.
44
8.2
7.9
A proposal to make physical education mandatory,
including 30 minutes per day in elementary school
and 45 minutes per day in middle and high school.
43
7.9
A proposal to increase access to immunizations,
dental care, and pre-natal care for low-income
families.
40
41Middle Tier Proposals
10 Mean
A proposal to increase funding for health
education campaigns in our schools, so children
better understand the importance of eating
healthy and being active.
34
7.5
A proposal to increase funding for early
childhood intervention programs that assist
at-risk children and their families make better
healthy lifestyle choices.
7.6
33
A proposal to provide additional funding for
tobacco prevention education for teenagers and
young adults.
6.6
30
A proposal to fund an education campaign showing
residents of all ages how to eat better, get
active, and live without tobacco.
6.8
28
A proposal to implement family-focused education
campaigns to encourage active living and healthy
eating, including taking walks together and
learning the importance of healthy eating.
27
7.0
42Middle Tier Proposals Continued
10 Mean
A proposal to provide state grants to support the
development of supermarkets and fresh food
retailers in urban and rural areas so lower
income families have access to fresh, healthy
food choices.
26
6.5
A proposal to modernize and improve state
programs including Medicaid, Food Stamps and
child care to ensure they promote and reward
healthy behaviors.
25
7.0
A proposal to start a Get-Fit program that
encourages businesses to adopt Worksite Wellness
programs. Worksite Wellness programs offer
employees incentives to adopt healthier
lifestyles, which helps the business by reducing
sick days, increasing productivity, and lowering
health care costs.
23
6.8
A proposal to teach children in grades K through
eight how to protect themselves from the sun.
22
6.3
43Voters generally care less about what government
is doing for state employees.
Lower Tier Proposals
10 Mean
A proposal that encourages state employees to get
fit and stay healthy by providing confidential
health assessments, free on-line tracking of
health routines and daily 15-minute walk breaks.
18
5.8
10
A proposal to reimburse state employees 300 for
out-of-pocket medical expenses, exercise
equipment, and fitness club memberships.
4.1
44There are proposals that partisans of all stripes
can support.
Top Three Proposals By Party By Mean Score
45Bill McInturff/Nicole McCleskey
Public Opinion Strategies 214 North Fayette
Street Alexandria, VA 22314 (703)
836-7655 www.pos.org
Celinda Lake
Lake Research Partners 1726 M St., NW, Suite
500 Washington, DC 20036 202-776-9066 www.lakerese
arch.com