BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- US government researchers recommends that married people are healthier than those who keep the single condition.

    A report from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that married people, even though easier to become fat, are less likely to smoke, drink heavily or be physically inactive. They are less likely than singles, divorcees or widowed adults to be in fair or poor health, and are less likely to suffer from headaches or serious psychological distress.

    However, the research also finds that the married men are more likely to to be overweight than the singles.

    "Never-married adults were among the least likely to be overweight or obese," the report said.

    "One can speculate based on one's impression of humanity but we don¡¯t have any data to back it up," Health statistician Charlotte Schoenborn, who led the study, was quoted by Reuters as saying in a telephone interview.

    "For the smoking rates between married and unmarried people, the differences were quite remarkable,"she added.

    "One in five married adults were current smokers compared to four in 10 of those living with a partner. Married people are about half as likely to be current smokers as those who are divorced or living with a partner."

    The report from the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was based on interviews with 127,545 adults aged 18 and over. It finds that 58.2 percent of adults are married, 10.4 percent are separated or divorced, 6.6 percent are widowed, 19 percent never married and 5.7 percent are living with a partner.

    Schoenborn was interested to find out if the "marriage effect" on health had changed as society's view of single and divorced people changed. "I was looking to find out where things are currently, but I wouldn't say I was surprised. My personal impression is that marriage probably offers a level of stability," Schoenborn said. Enditem

    (Agencies)