Health and Nutrition of Watauga, TN Residents

Diet Behavior & Nutrition

Forty seven percent of Watauga 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 three 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 two 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 Watauga 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). Twenty four percent of people living here 30 years of age and older, are embarrassed because of their teeth, mouth or dentures. Fourteen percent think they might have gum disease (might have swollen gums, receding gums, sore or infected gums or loose teeth). Watauga residents rate the overall health of their teeth and gums on average at 40 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 four days per week. The average person living here (including children) has 24 teeth.

Summary

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

Weight

The average height of Watauga residents 16 years and older is 65 inches. The average weight is 175 pounds. Their average BMI (Body Mass Index) is 28. Thirty four percent of people living here are obese. Thirty nine percent have ever been obese. Thirty six percent have ever tried to lose weight.

Summary

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

Drug Use

Fifty one percent of Watauga residents have ever used marijuana or hashish. Seventeen percent of people living here have ever used cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine. Seventeen percent have ever used any form of cocaine, such as powder, 'crack', 'free base', and coca paste. Two percent have ever used heroin.

Summary

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

Diabetes

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

Summary

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

Kidney Conditions-Urology

Watauga 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).

Summary

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

Taste & Smell

Ten percent of Watauga 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. Four percent have been having problems with their ability to taste sweet, sour, salty or bitter foods and drinks. Thirty seven percent of people above the age of 40 have ever had wisdom teeth removed. Eleven percent have ever had their tonsils removed. Nine percent have lost consciousness because of a head injury. Eight percent have ever had a broken nose or other serious injury to face or skull. Twenty nine percent have had two or more sinus infections.

Summary

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

Health Insurance

Sixty three percent of people living in Watauga are covered by health insurance or some other kind of health care plan.

Summary

Blood Pressure & Cholesterol

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

Summary

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

Dermatology

Twenty three percent of people living in Watauga use sunscreen.

Summary

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

Mental Health

Eighteen percent of Watauga residents 18 years old and older have usually little interest or pleasure in doing things. Thirty two percent often feel down, depressed, or hopeless. Twenty five percent of people living here have trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleep too much. Thirty nine percent of people often feel tired or have little energy. Twenty two percent are bothered by poor appetite or overeating. Twenty five percent often feel badly about themselves, that they are a failure or have let themselves or their families down. Twenty four percent have trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching TV. Twenty 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. Five percent have thoughts that they would be better off dead or of hurting themselves in some way.

Summary

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

Prescription Medications

Watauga residents on average take one prescription medicines.

Summary

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

Alcohol use

Eighty five percent of people living in Watauga have at least one alcoholic drink per month. Eight percent of people living here do not drink alcohol at all. People living here drink alcohol 4.2 days per month on average. They have 4.5 drinks per week. On average people living here have 5 or more drinks on 16 days a year.

Summary

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

Sexual Behavior

Ninety eight percent of Watauga residents 18 years and older have ever had vaginal, anal or oral sex. Ninety three percent of males have ever had vaginal sex with a woman. Seventy one percent have ever performed oral sex on a woman. Forty six percent have ever had anal sex with a woman. Six percent of males in Watauga have ever had any kind of sex with a man, including oral or anal. Ninety six percent of females have ever had vaginal sex with a man. Eighty four percent have ever performed oral sex on a man. Nineteen percent have ever had anal sex. People in Watauga 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 20 women. He has vaginal sex with 19 women. People living here were on average 21 years old when they first performed oral sex on a woman. In their lifetime they performed oral sex on average on five women. People in Watauga were 20 years old on average when they first performed oral sex on a man. Ten percent of people use protection, like a condom or dental dam, while performing oral sex. The average person in Watauga has vaginal or anal sex 32 times a year. Thirty eight percent have sex without using a condom. Females in Watauga 18 years and older have had any kind of sex with seven men on average. Women here have on average 1.6 female sex partners in their lifetimes. Fifty 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

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

Summary

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

Sleep Disorders

Watauga residents 16 years and older usually get six hours of sleep at night on weekdays or workdays. Twenty two percent of them have trouble sleeping.

Summary

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

Smoking-Cigarette Use

Thirty nine percent of Watauga residents currently smoke cigarettes.

Summary

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

Physical Activity

Twenty one percent of Watauga 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. Forty five percent walk or bicycle for at least 10 minutes continuously to get to and from places. Twenty five 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. Fifty one 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 five 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 two 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 1.1 hours per day.

Summary

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

Medical Conditions

Five percent of Watauga residents have ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had asthma. One percent of people living here has anemia, sometimes called "tired blood" or "low blood". Two percent of people 16 years and older have ever been told by a doctor or other health care professional that they had psoriasis. Thirty one percent are overweight. Thirteen 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. Five percent of people living in Watauga have ever received a blood transfusion. Fourteen percent have trouble seeing, even when wearing glasses or contact lenses. Twelve percent of people 20 and older have arthritis. One percent have ever been told they had gout. One percent have coronary heart disease. One percent have angina, also called angina pectoris. Two percent have ever had a heart attack, also called myocardial infarction. Three percent have been ever told by a doctor or other health professional that they had a stroke. Three percent have another thyroid problem. Two percent of people had any kind of liver condition. Four 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 one percent of births in Watauga were vaginal deliveries. Thirty nine percent of deliveries were cesarean. 99.3 percent of deliveries resulted in live births. Sixty four percent of pregnancies resulted in a delivery. Fifty eight percent of women breastfeed their children. Fifty nine percent have ever taken birth control pills for any reason. Seven 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

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

Current Health Status

People living in Watauga report their general health condition on average at 57 percent. Six percent of them donate blood. Excluding tests they have had as part of blood donations, 37 percent of Watauga residents have ever had their blood tested for the AIDS virus infection. Five percent of people living in Watauga are left-handed.

Summary

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

Consumer Behavior

People in Watauga spend $393 per month on average on food for their families at supermarkets or grocery stores. This is 32 percent of their income. The average family in Watauga spends $106 on food at other stores monthly. This is six percent of their income. They spend $108 on eating out, including cafeterias at work or at school or on vending machines. This is eight percent of their income. They also spend $16 monthly on carried out or delivered food. This is one percent of their income.

Summary

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

Audiometry

People living in Watauga report their general condition of hearing on average at 83 percent. Eighty nine 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 seven percent of people can hear a normal voice across a quiet room. Twenty three percent of Watauga population have been bothered by ringing, roaring or buzzing in their ears or head. Thirty four 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. Twelve percent of people in Watauga had off-work exposure to loud noise.

Summary

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

Preventive Aspirin Use

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

Summary

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

Physical Functioning

Eight percent of Watauga 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. Ten percent are limited in the kind or amount of work they can do because of physical, mental or emotional problems. Four percent have difficulty walking without using any special equipment. Six percent are limited in any way because of difficulty remembering or because they experience periods of confusion.

Summary

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