Poor Physical Health Days
- Number of days in the previous 30 days when a person indicates their activities are limited due to physical health difficulties.
- Number of days in the previous 30 days when a person indicates their activities are limited due to physical health difficulties. (2011 BRFSS Methodology)
Poor Physical Health Days is the average number of days in the previous 30 days that an adult could not perform work or household tasks due to physical illness. The self-reported data relies on the accuracy of each respondent’s estimate of the number of limited activity days they experienced in the previous 30 days. The 2013 ranks are based on self-report data from CDC’s 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Because of the 2011 change in BRFSS methodology, poor physical health days from the 2012 Edition onward cannot be directly compared to estimates from previous years (see Methodology).
Poor physical health days are a general indicator of the population’s health related quality of life. The number of poor physical health days reveals information about all cause morbidity within the population regardless of disease or health condition. Along with poor mental health days, it provides insight into perceived overall health. Poor physical health is not only an indicator of current health status but a predictor of future health and future medical care; it has been shown to be a predictor of 1-month and 12-month hospitalizations and office visits.
The number of poor physical health days in the previous 30 days ranges from an average of 2.9 days in Minnesota to 5.3 days in Kentucky. The average number of poor physical health days in the previous 30 days for the United States is 4.0 days.
 Dominick KL, Ahern FM, Gold CH, Heller DA: Relationship of health-related quality of life to health care utilization and mortality among older adults. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2002;14:499-508.
 Healthy People 2020. General Health Status. http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/GenHealthAbout.aspx#physically. US Department of Health and Human Services. Updated November 15, 2011. Accessed October 22, 2013.