In 2010, working-age adults made an average of 3.9 visits to physicians, nurses or other medical providers, down from 4.8 in 2001, according to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Among those with at least one such visit, the average number of annual visits also declined, from 6.4 to 5.4 over the period.

The findings are from "Health Status, Health Insurance, and Medical Services Utilization: 2010," a periodic report that examines the relationship between the use of medical services, health status, health insurance coverage and other demographic and economic characteristics. The statistics come from the Survey of Income and Program Participation.

According to the report, most Americans consider themselves to be quite healthy: nearly two in three (66%) reported their health as being either "excellent" or "very good." Another 24% said their health was "good," while 8% described it as "fair" and 2% as "poor." Non-Hispanic blacks were more likely to consider their health to be fair or poor (13%) than non-Hispanic whites (10%) or Hispanics (9%).

"The decline in the use of medical services was widespread, taking place regardless of health status," Brett O’Hara, chief of the Census Bureau’s Health and Disability Statistics Branch, said in a news release.

For instance, among working-age adults who reported their health was either fair or poor, the average number of annual visits dropped from 12.9 to 11.6 between 2001 and 2010. The corresponding numbers fell from 5.3 to 4.2 visits for those reporting good health and from 3.2 to 2.5 among those who said their health was excellent or very good.

Visits to a healthcare provider

Healthcare provider visits become more likely with age: 37% of young adults 18 to 24 did not visit a provider at all during the year, compared with 8% of those 65 and older.

Hispanics were the least likely racial or ethnic group to see a healthcare provider, with 42% never visiting one during the year. Women were more likely than men to have visited a provider during the year, 78% to 67%.

Hospital stays

Spending a night in a hospital is a rare event: 92% of the population did not spend a night in a hospital during the previous year, and only 1% spent eight or more nights. The chances of spending no nights in the hospital ranged from 96% for children to 83% for people 65 and older.

Prescription medication

More than half of the population (57%) did not take prescription medication at any point during the previous year, while 35% reported taking it regularly. The ratios of prescription medication intake ranged from 80% of adults 65 and older to 13% of children.

Health status

In general, self-rated health declines with age: More than half (59%) of children are in excellent health, according to the survey, compared with 9% of those 65 or older.

Surveyors found a "U-shaped" relationship between health status and having any type of health insurance coverage. Among all people who reported excellent health, 85% were insured, compared with 80% with good health and 85% whose health was poor.

Uninsured adults

Among uninsured adults who visited a healthcare provider or dentist during the year, 13% visited an ED and 10% were admitted to a hospital, while 20% received free services and 30% received a discount on services.

In 2010, 21% of uninsured adults in poor health received routine check-ups, compared with 12% of all uninsured adults.

People under 65 whose health was poor, fair or good were more likely to be uninsured (23%, 25% and 24%, respectively) than those with very good or excellent health (20% and 16%, respectively).

A PDF of the report is available at www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-133.pdf.