Prevalence of risk health behavior among members of private health insurance plans: Results from the 2008 national telephone survey Vigitel, Brazil

Abstract

This article aims at estimating the prevalence of adults engaging in protective and risk health behaviors among members of private health insurance plans. It was used a random sample of individuals over the age of 18 living in the Brazilianstate capitals collected on 28,640 telephone interviews in 2008. The results showed that among males there was a high prevalence of the followingrisk factors: tobacco, overweight, low fruit and vegetable consumption, high meat with fat consumption and alcohol drinking. Among females we found a high prevalence of high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidemia and osteoporosis. Men were generally more physically active and women consumedmore fruit and vegetables. As more educated males were lower was the prevalence of tobacco, high blood pressure, but also a higher prevalence of overweight, consumption of meat withfat, dyslipidemia and lower number of yearly checkups done. For females, tobacco smoking, overweight, obesity, decreasing with schooling, and consumption of fruit and vegetables, physical activity, mammography and PAP test, increased with schooling. The health insurance user population constitutes about 26% of Brazilian people and the current study aims to accumulate evidence for health promotion actions by this public.