CDC: U.S. taking more medications

ATLANTA, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Americans are smoking a bit less, about one-third have trouble sleeping, and almost 50 percent are taking some type of medication, U.S. health officials report.

The federal government's 33rd annual report to the president and Congress on the health of all Americans was prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics from data gathered by state and federal health agencies as well as ongoing national surveys.

This year's report found:

-- Overall U.S. life expectancy in 2007 was 77.9 years.

-- In 2007, 20 percent of U.S. adults were current cigarette smokers, a slight decrease from 21 percent in the previous three years.

-- In 2005-2006, 30 percent of adults often or almost always had trouble sleeping in the past month.

-- In 2007, 20 percent of adults 18 years and older had at least one emergency department visit in the past year, and 7 percent had two or more visits.

-- The percentage of the population taking at least one prescription drug during the previous month increased from 38 percent in 1988-1994 to 47 percent in 2003-2006.

-- The number of magnetic resonance imaging and computed/positron emission tomography scans tripled between 1996 and 2007.