Residents in the D.C. area are less stressed than they were just one year ago, but those who remain stressed are suffering increasingly serious health problems and are struggling to combat the anxiety caused largely by economic concerns, a study released Tuesday shows.
The American Psychological Association’s recent online poll found that many area residents are reporting lower levels of stress in 2010 than they did in 2009, and that most District residents were more likely to say they do a good job of exercising regularly and eating only a healthy diet. It’s the third year in a row that stress levels have declined.
But the poll of 212 residents in the D.C. area also revealed increases in the number of people reporting serious stress-related health conditions such as high cholesterol (36 percent), high blood pressure (35 percent), and type 2 diabetes (13 percent, nearly twice the 2009 level).
“It’s good news to see that fewer people in the region are reporting such high levels of stress,” said Dr. Mary Alvord, public education coordinator for the Maryland Psychological Association. “But it’s also alarming that more people have health problems and that they struggle with adopting the necessary lifestyle changes that can improve their health.”
A majority of residents in the region, 62 percent, say they’re doing enough to keep stress in check.
Many D.C.-area residents say they’re just too busy to get healthy. Twenty-three percent say they just don’t have enough time to make the lifestyle changes their doctors recommend, such as exercising, losing weight and eating healthier. Only 7 percent of residents blame stress for preventing them from changing habits.
The poll found that financial concerns are the chief cause of stress among area residents. Some 72 percent say money is the source of their stress, up from 60 percent in 2009. Another 67 percent blame the overall economy, up from 56 percent in 2009.
On the upside, the study found that the D.C. region is less stressed than other major metropolitan areas, including Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.
