Resolutions

According to The Patient Poll conducted the week of Jan. 11, 2010, by the Institute for Good Medicine at the Pennsylvania Medical Society, 47.3 percent of Pennsylvania adults made a resolution to improve their health. And, as of the polling date, 96.3 percent of those who made a health-related resolution for 2010 said they are still on track.

However, if past history is any indicator, only 17.9 percent will make a healthy New Year’s resolution and succeed, suggesting many will drop health goals or never set any in the first place.

Of those who did make health-related resolutions, The Patient Poll indicates nearly 70 percent resolved to lose weight, nearly 60 percent resolved to increase their exercise level/frequency, 43 percent plan to improve their diets especially as related to diabetes or heart disease, and 22 percent plan to quit/reduce smoking

According to The Patient Poll, most people fail with their healthy New Year’s resolution because they didn’t make real changes to their lifestyle followed by setting goals too high and being too busy.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, more than half of Pennsylvania’s adult population is overweight or obese (64 percent) and one quarter of adult Pennsylvanians smoke.

For more information, visit:
January 2010 Patient Poll background
Conducted: January 2010
Margin of Error:  5.67 percent
Eligibility: Pennsylvania adults age 21 or older
Survey Consultants:  Taylor Brand Group, Lancaster, Pa., and Greenfield Online, Connecticut.
Question: Did you make a New Year’s resolution for 2010 that was related to your health?
Answers:
Yes
47.3%
No
52.7%
Question: Please indicate the general nature of the health resolution you made (check all that apply)
Answers: Quite or reduce smoking
22.6%
Lose weight
67.7%
Increase exercise levels/frequency
59.8%
Improve diet (especially related to diabetes or heart disease)
42.7%
Get recommended tests or screenings
9.8%
Question: Have you discussed any of your health-related resolutions with your doctor?
Answers:
Yes
 29.3%
No, but plans to do so in near future
 39.0%
No
 31.7%
Question: What sentence below comes closest to describing the current status of your 2010 New Year’s resolution?
Answers: I am still on track to be successful with my health-related resolution(s) 96.3%
I have abandoned my 2010 health-related
resolution(s) 		3.7%
Question: For a moment, think back on health-related New Year’s resolutions you may have made in years other than 2010. What statement below comes closest to describing your success with those resolutions?
Answers: I successfully completed my resolution 17.9%
I abandoned my resolution in the first month 13.9%
I made it through 3 months before I abandoned my resolution 13.6%
I made it through 6 months before I abandoned my resolution 7.3%
I made it through 9 months before I abandoned my resolution 2.7%
I have never made a New Year’s resolution related to my health 44.5%
Question: If you have ever made a health-related resolution and abandoned it before it was complete, please indicate what some of the reasons may have been. Please check all that apply.
Answers: Set my goal too high 17.0%
Didn’t make real changes to my lifestyle 23.6%
Too busy 15.5%
Set goals that were too vague 11.5%
I have never made a health related resolution 33.3%
I have always completed or maintained my health-related resolutions 12.1%

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Last Updated: 2/5/2010
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