90% of US adults are healthy

Ninety percent of US adults say they are in good health and 81 percent say their community also is healthy, in stark contrast to research, a survey indicates. The survey by The Atlantic, in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, found the majority of Americans said their health status hadn't changed recently, but 26 percent said their health declined and cited worsening economic circumstances as a critical factor. The survey of 1,004 U.S. adults, conducted Jan. 12-20, found most said they viewed doctors and hospitals as primarily responsible for ensuring good health in a community. However, 87 percent said that clean air and good water quality was key to good health, 82 percent said regular access to doctors and dentists was key to good health, 81 percent said health food choices and 74 percent said nearby hospitals and urgent care facilities. Ninety-four percent said the health/medical information they found online was important to their health, but only 12 percent of respondents have emailed or sent a text message to a physician regarding a health question. "It's interesting to me that a third of people have never looked up their health condition or symptoms on the Internet, while nearly 90 percent have never emailed or texted with their doctor," Dr. James Hamblin, TheAtlantic.com's health editor, said in a statement. "Imagine being able to ask your doctor a quick question or check in with him or her directly without going all the way to an office visit." The survey, conducted by Penn, Schoen & Berland, has a margin of error of 3.09 percentage points.