Taking Care of Your Health: Are Americans Clueless?

After looking at the results of the Do Good Live Well Study: Reviewing the Benefits of Volunteering, recently conducted by UnitedHealthcare and VolunteerMatch, you might draw the very conclusion in the headline of this post. Here's why.

In the study, 79 percent of the respondents rated their current physical health as "very good" or "good." An equal percentage said they were "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with their health. Getting more specific, respondents gave "very good" or "good" ratings to their immunity (85 percent), physical strength (73 percent), physical stamina (67 percent), and overall energy level (66 percent).

Yet 52 percent of survey participants reported suffering from one or more chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, and other conditions. Further, the report noted that:

• Seven in 10 Americans are overweight as measured by their body-mass index (BMI), with more than a third considered obese.
• On average, Americans take two prescription medications each day.
• On average, Americans have visited a doctor 4.5 times in the past year.

This doesn't sound at all healthy to me! Looking down the road, these are just the type of situations that can cause you trouble in your retirement years. The underlying health issues significantly increase the odds of incurring high out-of-pocket costs for medical expenses, as noted in my prior post, How to Spend Less in Retirement. They can also reduce your lifespan, your healthspan (the length of your life during which you're healthy and living independently), and your enjoyment of life.

Why do Americans think they're healthy, yet report specific signs that they aren't? One possibility is their definition of "good health." Many people consider themselves healthy if they aren't sick--good health is defined as lack of a current illness. But I suggest you consider a more robust definition of good health--your physical well-being is such that you have significantly reduced the odds of chronic, expensive conditions. Your BMI would be within safe levels, you wouldn't report any chronic conditions, you wouldn't be taking any prescription medications, and you'd go to a doctor just once per year for an annual checkup.

It's important to acknowledge here that some people have good reasons for exceptions to these "healthy" goals: They truly have no control over their chronic condition, and they need to take medications and see doctors frequently. But the majority of Americans can significantly reduce the odds of contracting the specific chronic conditions mentioned above through proper nutrition, exercise, and stress management.

You may think that the healthy goals expressed above are a stretch, but they're definitely worth stretching for. You'll increase your enjoyment of life, and decrease the money you'll have to spend during retirement on medical costs.

Steve Vernon

View all articles by Steve Vernon on CBS MoneyWatch»
Steve Vernon helped large employers design and manage their retirement programs for more than 35 years as a consulting actuary. Now he's a research scholar for the Stanford Center on Longevity, where he helps collect, direct and disseminate research that will improve the financial security of seniors. He's also president of Rest-of-Life Communications, delivers retirement planning workshops and authored Retirement Game-Changers: Strategies for a Healthy, Financially Secure and Fulfilling Long Life and Money for Life: Turn Your IRA and 401(k) Into a Lifetime Retirement Paycheck.

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