Health and Nutrition of Merrillville, IN Residents

Diet Behavior & Nutrition

Fifty percent of Merrillville residents report that their diet is generally healthy. People here have milk to drink or on their cereal 21 times per month. This includes chocolate and other flavored milks, as well as hot cocoa made with milk, and does not count small amounts of milk added to coffee or tea. People living here eat an average of four meals (breakfasts, lunches or dinners) per week that were prepared away from home in places such as restaurants, fast food places, food stands, grocery stores or from vending machines. They get two of these meals from a fast-food or pizza place. People here eat two "ready to eat" foods such as salads, soups, chicken, sandwiches and cooked vegetables per month. They also eat three frozen meals or frozen pizzas on average monthly.

Summary

The biggest differences compared to state averages have been highlighted with a blue background.

Oral Health

The average Merrillville resident last visited a dentist two years ago (including all types of dentists, such as, orthodontists, oral surgeons, and all other dental specialists, as well as dental hygienists). Fifteen percent of people living here 30 years of age and older, are embarrassed because of their teeth, mouth or dentures. Twenty percent think they might have gum disease (might have swollen gums, receding gums, sore or infected gums or loose teeth). Merrillville residents rate the overall health of their teeth and gums on average at 48 percent. People living here aged 30 years and older, aside from brushing their teeth with toothbrush, use dental floss or any other device that clean between teeth on average three days per week. They also use mouthwash or other dental rinse products to treat dental disease or dental problems an average of three days per week. The average person living here (including children) has 23 teeth.

Summary

Weight

The average height of Merrillville residents 16 years and older is 67 inches. The average weight is 181 pounds. Their average BMI (Body Mass Index) is 29. Thirty nine percent of people living here are obese. Fifty percent have ever been obese. Thirty six percent have ever tried to lose weight.

Summary

Drug Use

Sixty one percent of Merrillville residents have ever used marijuana or hashish. Twenty one percent of people living here have ever used cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine. Twenty percent have ever used any form of cocaine, such as powder, 'crack', 'free base', and coca paste. Three percent have ever used heroin. Eleven percent have ever used methamphetamines.

Summary

The biggest differences compared to state averages have been highlighted with a blue background.

Diabetes

Ten percent of people living in Merrillville have ever been told by a doctor or health professional that they have diabetes. Forty nine percent of people had a blood test for high sugar or diabetes within the past three years. Three percent of city residents are currently taking insulin.

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Kidney Conditions-Urology

Merrillville residents 20 years and older on average get up to urinate one time at night (from time they go to bed at night until the time they get up in the morning).

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Taste & Smell

Eleven percent of Merrillville residents above the age of 40 have problems with their ability to smell, such as not being able to smell things or things not smelling the way they are supposed to. Five percent have been having problems with their ability to taste sweet, sour, salty or bitter foods and drinks. Sixty six percent of people above the age of 40 have ever had wisdom teeth removed. Twenty eight percent have ever had their tonsils removed. Fifteen percent have lost consciousness because of a head injury. Nineteen percent have ever had a broken nose or other serious injury to face or skull. Thirty eight percent have had two or more sinus infections.

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Health Insurance

Seventy six percent of people living in Merrillville are covered by health insurance or some other kind of health care plan.

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Blood Pressure & Cholesterol

Twenty four percent of people living in Merrillville have been ever told by a doctor or other health professional that they had hypertension (also called high blood pressure). Twenty five percent of people take their blood pressure at home. Forty five percent of people in Merrillville frequently check their blood cholesterol. Nineteen percent of people have ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that their blood cholesterol level was high.

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Dermatology

Thirty four percent of people living in Merrillville use sunscreen.

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Mental Health

Twenty six percent of Merrillville residents 18 years old and older have usually little interest or pleasure in doing things. Twenty seven percent often feel down, depressed, or hopeless. Forty one percent of people living here have trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleep too much. Fifty one percent of people often feel tired or have little energy. Twenty seven percent are bothered by poor appetite or overeating. Twenty percent often feel badly about themselves, that they are a failure or have let themselves or their families down. Eighteen percent have trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching TV. Thirteen percent of people living here move or speak so slowly that other people could have noticed, or the opposite - being so fidgety or restless that they have been moving around a lot more than usual. Four percent have thoughts that they would be better off dead or of hurting themselves in some way.

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Prescription Medications

Merrillville residents on average take two prescription medicines.

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Alcohol use

Seventy nine percent of people living in Merrillville have at least one alcoholic drink per month. Twelve percent of people living here do not drink alcohol at all. People living here drink alcohol 4.9 days per month on average. They have 5.5 drinks per week. On average people living here have 5 or more drinks on 22 days a year.

Summary

Sexual Behavior

Ninety seven percent of Merrillville residents 18 years and older have ever had vaginal, anal or oral sex. Ninety five percent of males have ever had vaginal sex with a woman. Eighty six percent have ever performed oral sex on a woman. Forty eight percent have ever had anal sex with a woman. Six percent of males in Merrillville have ever had any kind of sex with a man, including oral or anal. Ninety seven percent of females have ever had vaginal sex with a man. Eighty three percent have ever performed oral sex on a man. Thirty seven percent have ever had anal sex. Eleven percent of females have ever had any kind of sex with a woman. People in Merrillville were 17 years old on average when they had sex for the first time. The average man in his lifetime had any kind of sex with 28 women. He has vaginal sex with 23 women. People living here were on average 22 years old when they first performed oral sex on a woman. In their lifetime they performed oral sex on average on five women. Males in their lifetime have anal or oral sex with 3.8 men on average. They have had 2.2 anal sex partners in their lifetime. People in Merrillville were 19 years old on average when they first performed oral sex on a man. They performed oral sex on average on six men in their lifetime. Ten percent of people use protection, like a condom or dental dam, while performing oral sex. The average person in Merrillville has vaginal or anal sex 59 times a year. Fifty two percent have sex without using a condom. Females in Merrillville 18 years and older have had any kind of sex with 10 men on average. They have had nine male vaginal sex partners in their lifetimes. Women here have on average 0.5 female sex partners in their lifetimes. Seventy eight percent of men 18 years old and older are circumcised.

Summary

The biggest differences compared to state averages have been highlighted with a blue background.

Pesticide Use

Eleven percent of households in Merrillville use chemical products in their homes to control fleas, roaches, ants, termites or other insects. Four percent use chemical products in their lawns or gardens to kill weeds.

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Sleep Disorders

Merrillville residents 16 years and older usually get seven hours of sleep at night on weekdays or workdays. Twenty nine percent of them have trouble sleeping.

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Smoking-Cigarette Use

Forty nine percent of Merrillville residents currently smoke cigarettes.

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Physical Activity

Twenty percent of Merrillville residents' work involve vigorous-intensity activity that causes large increases in breathing or heart rate, like carrying or lifting heavy loads, digging or construction work for at least 10 minutes continuously. Thirty seven percent of people do moderate-intensity activities at work that cause small increases in breathing or heart rate such as brisk walking or carrying light loads for at least 10 minutes continuously. Twenty nine percent walk or bicycle for at least 10 minutes continuously to get to and from places. Twenty one percent do any vigorous-intensity sports, fitness or recreational activities that cause large increases in breathing or heart rate like running or basketball for at least 10 minutes continuously. Forty three percent do any moderate-intensity sports, fitness or recreational activities that cause a small increase in breathing or heart rate such as brisk walking, bicycling, swimming or golf for at least 10 minutes continuously. People living here spend six hours sitting on a typical day (this includes sitting at work, at home, getting to and from places, or with friends, including time spent sitting at a desk, traveling in a car or bus, reading, playing cards, watching television or using a computer). They usually sit and watch TV or videos for about three hours per day. They use a computer or play computer games (including Playstation, Nintendo DS, or other portable video games) outside of work or school for 1.3 hours per day.

Summary

Medical Conditions

Ten percent of Merrillville residents have ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had asthma. Four percent of people living here has anemia, sometimes called "tired blood" or "low blood". Three percent of people 16 years and older have ever been told by a doctor or other health care professional that they had psoriasis. Thirty five percent are overweight. Eighteen percent of people 60 years and older have difficulties in thinking or remembering that can make a big difference in everyday activities (this does not refer to occasionally forgetting your keys or the name of someone you recently met). This refers to things like confusion or memory loss that are happening more often or getting worse. Twelve percent of people living in Merrillville have ever received a blood transfusion. Nineteen percent have trouble seeing, even when wearing glasses or contact lenses. Twenty five percent of people 20 and older have arthritis. Four percent have ever been told they had gout. Three percent have congestive heart failure. Three percent have coronary heart disease. Two percent have angina, also called angina pectoris. Four percent have ever had a heart attack, also called myocardial infarction. Four percent have been ever told by a doctor or other health professional that they had a stroke. Two percent have ever had emphysema. Eight percent have another thyroid problem. Three percent have ever had chronic bronchitis. Two percent of people had any kind of liver condition. Nine percent have ever had cancer or a malignancy of any kind.

Summary

The biggest differences compared to state averages have been highlighted with a blue background.

Reproductive Health

Sixty three percent of births in Merrillville were vaginal deliveries. Thirty seven percent of deliveries were cesarean. 99.3 percent of deliveries resulted in live births. Fifty nine percent of pregnancies resulted in a delivery. Fifty five percent of women breastfeed their children. Twenty two percent of women in Merrillville have ever had a hysterectomy, including a partial hysterectomy (that is, surgery to remove their uterus or womb). Twelve percent had both of their ovaries removed (either when they had their uterus removed or at another time). Seventy four percent have ever taken birth control pills for any reason. Eight percent of women are currently taking birth control pills. Sixteen percent have ever used Depo-Provera or injectable birth control to prevent pregnancy. Eighteen percent have ever used female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, including any forms of female hormones, such as pills, cream, patch and injections, but do not include birth control methods or use for infertility.

Summary

Current Health Status

People living in Merrillville report their general health condition on average at 56 percent. Five percent of them donate blood. Excluding tests they have had as part of blood donations, 42 percent of Merrillville residents have ever had their blood tested for the AIDS virus infection. Nine percent of people living in Merrillville are left-handed.

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Consumer Behavior

People in Merrillville spend $354 per month on average on food for their families at supermarkets or grocery stores. This is 22 percent of their income. The average family in Merrillville spends $78 on food at other stores monthly. This is four percent of their income. They spend $137 on eating out, including cafeterias at work or at school or on vending machines. This is seven percent of their income. They also spend $25 monthly on carried out or delivered food. This is one percent of their income.

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Audiometry

People living in Merrillville report their general condition of hearing on average at 80 percent. Eighty two percent of them can usually hear and understand, without the use of a hearing aid or any other listening devices, what a person says without seeing his or her face if that person whispers to them from across a quiet room. Ninety five percent of people can hear a normal voice across a quiet room. Eighteen percent of Merrillville population have been bothered by ringing, roaring or buzzing in their ears or head. Forty one percent of people living here have ever had a job where they were exposed to loud sounds or noise. Loud means so loud that they must speak in a raised voice to be heard. Fifteen percent of people in Merrillville had off-work exposure to loud noise.

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Preventive Aspirin Use

Twenty six percent of Merrillville residents 40 and older take a low-dose aspirin each day to prevent heart attacks, strokes or cancer.

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Physical Functioning

Seventeen percent of Merrillville residents 20 or older have limitations caused by a long-term physical, mental or emotional problems or illnesses keeping them from working at a job or business. Twenty three percent are limited in the kind or amount of work they can do because of physical, mental or emotional problems. Nine percent have difficulty walking without using any special equipment. Nine percent are limited in any way because of difficulty remembering or because they experience periods of confusion. Eight percent of people here have health problems that require them to use special equipment, such as a cane, wheelchair, special bed or special telephone.

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