The current value is the percentage of adults in high or very high health improvement index areas who report having fair or poor general health on the Utah Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS).

Question text: "Would you say that in general your health is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor?"

Definition: Percentage of adults aged 18 years and older who reported fair or poor general health.

Numerator: Number of survey respondents who reported fair or poor general health living in high or very high health improvement index (HII) areas.

Denominator: Total number of survey respondents living in high or very high health improvement index (HII) areas except those with missing, "Don't know/Not sure," and "Refused" responses.

Target: The percentage of all Utah adults who report having fair or poor general health on the Utah Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS).

National comparison: This measure is reporting on Utah Health Improvement Index areas, which are only available for Utah, so national comparison data are not available. 

The Utah Health Improvement Index (HII) is a measure of health equity. It uses BRFSS data and includes 9 indicators that describe important determinants of health such as demographics, socioeconomic deprivation, economic inequality, resource availability, and opportunity structure. The Utah HII gives a score to each Utah Small Area. Based on their score, Utah Small Areas are categorized into 5 groups: very low, low, average, high, and very high. The higher the group, the more improvements the area needs. More information can be found here.

This output is based on Utah BRFSS data which was collected through both landline and cellular phones and uses iterative proportional fitting, or raking weighting methodology. More information about this methodology can be found here.

Data notes: Statistical significance was determined by comparing the confidence intervals (listed in the comment) of each year to the prior year. If the confidence intervals overlapped the change was not considered significant. The confidence bounds are asymmetric. The target value is the average of 2017 to 2021 data.

Age-adjusted to U.S. 2000 population. U.S. data are the average of all states and the District of Columbia; they do not include U.S. territories. Age-adjusted rates are based on 5 age groups: 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64, and 65+.

Data sources

• The Utah Department of Health and Human Services Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Approximately 14.2% (age-adjusted rate) of Utah adults aged 18 and older reported fair or poor general health status in 2022. In the same time period, 85.8% of Utah adults reported good, very good, or excellent general health status.

In 2022, those in the very high health improvement index had a statistically higher prevalence of reporting fair or poor general health status when compared to all Utah adults [19.7% (16.8%-22.9) vs. 14.2% (13.3%-15.2%)]. 

Data note: There was a statistically significant decrease in 2020 likely related to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in lower response rates. The total number of responses in the very high health improvement index for those reporting fair or poor general health was higher in 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 2021 than in 2020. The total number of responses for 2019 was N=268 and for 2021 it was N=237. In comparison, in 2020 the total number of responses was N=166.

How do we compare with the U.S.?

Between the years 1993-2021, the proportion of adults who reported fair or poor health was significantly lower in Utah than for the U.S. as a whole (age-adjusted rates). The age-adjusted rates in 2022 were 14.2% in Utah compared to 17.3% in the U.S. Additional data can be found here. 

Utah Tobacco Prevention and Control Program

Utah Cancer Program

Utah Medicaid Program

Utah Asthma Program 

Utah Substance Use and Mental Health Program 

Utah Healthy Aging Program

Utah Violence and Injury Prevention Program

Self-rated health (SRH) has been collected for many years on National Center for Health Statistics surveys and since 1993 on the state-based Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). SRH is an independent predictor of important health outcomes including mortality, morbidity, and functional status. It is considered to be a reliable indicator of a person's perceived health and is a good global assessment of a person's well-being.

Social determinants of health (SDH) are the social and economic factors that influence health. These factors can have a large impact on general health. The Utah Healthy Places Index (HPI) is a powerful tool that can be used to analyze SDH indicators related to health. 

What is being done?

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (through many programs) works to address SDH; to prevent and control  illness, injury, disability, and premature death; ensure access to affordable, quality health care; and to promote healthy lifestyles.

There are several activities underway across DHHS to address SDH. The Healthy Places Index is one tool that can be used to help support efforts to address SDH factors. The Utah HPI maps data on social conditions that drive health—like education, job opportunities, clean air, and other indicators positively associated with general health. 

Available services

Check Your Health: 1-888-222-2542
Utah Tobacco Quit Line: 1-888-567-TRUTH (8788)
Utah Cancer Control Resource Line: 1-800-717-1811
Utah Medicaid Program Information 1-800-662-9651

Utah Asthma Home Visiting Program (Salt Lake and Utah Counties) asthma@utah.gov

Utah Substance Use and Mental Health Resources https://sumh.utah.gov/

Utah Health Aging Program, Health and Wellness Workshops https://healthyaging.utah.gov/find-workshop/#/