Associations of health risk factors and chronic illnesses with life dissatisfaction among U.S. adults: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2006

ObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence of life dissatisfaction and assess its associations with health risk factors and chronic illnesses in adults.MethodsData from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in 2006 (n = 341,140) were analyzed. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression analyses.ResultsThe prevalence of life dissatisfaction was estimated to be 5.0% among adults. People with one, two, and three health risk factors were, respectively, 2.2 (95% CI: 2.0–2.5), 3.7 (95% CI: 3.2–4.2), and 5.8 (95% CI: 4.6–7.4) times more likely to report life dissatisfaction than those without (P < 0.0001 for linear trend). People with one, two, and three or more chronic illnesses were, respectively, 1.8 (95% CI: 1.7–2.0), 3.6 (95% CI: 3.2–4.0), and 5.0 (95% CI: 4.4–5.7) times more likely to report life dissatisfaction than those without (P < 0.0001). After adjustment for self-rated health and other potential confounding variables, the associations were attenuated but remained significant for the number of health risk factors (P < 0.0001 for linear trend) and the number of chronic illnesses (P < 0.001).ConclusionsClustering of health risk factors or chronic illnesses was associated with life dissatisfaction independently of self-rated health and other established correlates.