Nearly 50% of U.S. adults did not receive key preventive care services before 2010, according to a CDC study released Thursday, the Los Angeles Times' "Booster Shots" reports.
The analysis, which appeared in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, is intended to establish a baseline of preventive care use and efficacy before provisions in the federal health reform law require insurers to provide preventive services at no cost to consumers (Brown, "Booster Shots," Los Angeles Times, 6/14).
CDC Director Thomas Frieden said, "This report provides a snapshot of preventive services for U.S. adults before 2010," adding, "As we look to the future, we can track how our nation's health is progressing through better prevention in health care."
For the study, researchers examined U.S. adults' use of nine preventive health services from 2007 through 2010 (McCarthy, National Journal, 6/14). The report found that:
- Less than half of U.S. adults with vascular heart disease were prescribed aspirin or antiplatelet therapy to prevent heart disease;
- 43% of individuals with high blood pressure had it under control; and
- 28% of U.S. residents ages 18 to 64 had received an influenza shot.
However, the report also showed success in some areas, such as:
- 70% of men and women ages 20 and older received recommended cholesterol screenings in the last five years; and
- 87% of diabetes patients over age 18 kept their blood-sugar levels within acceptable ranges ("Booster Shots," Los Angeles Times, 6/14).