Americans believe they are healthy, study shows

Americans regard themselves and their communities as healthy, a new study has found.

A study by GlaxoSmithKline and The Atlantic found that nine of ten Americans consider themselves to be in good personal health, whereas 81 per cent believe the health of people in their community is good.

Some 87 per cent of Americans believe that a variety of community factors are important to their health, including good air and water supply.

As well as this, 89 per cent of low-income Americans believe good air and water quality are very important to their health, even though just 58 per cent said they had access to these services.

In addition, 84 per cent of people said regular access to doctors and dentists was important to their health, though only 66 per cent admitted they had a great deal of access to them.

Dr James Hamblin, TheAtlantic.com’s health editor, said: "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.

"That last point may be a slippery slope in terms of a physician's limited time and work-life balance, not to mention limited compensation structures for that kind of communication, but it seems to me one area where the healthcare community could achieve a happier medium."

It was also found that over one in three young Americans are willing to have online interaction with doctors.

Young people, Hispanics and upper-income Americans were found to be the most open to communicating with their doctor through text messages or emails.

Deirdre Connelly, president of North America pharmaceuticals at GlaxoSmithKline, said: "At GSK, we continue to ask ourselves what we can do to be a better partner in the communities we serve, and to ensure Americans have the resources and opportunities they need to live healthier lives."