Married Utahns reported fewer days of illness than those who were separated, divorced or widowed, according to data gathered for a Utah Department of Health study.

Twenty-seven percent of those who are separated reported seven or more days of poor health out of the past 30, slightly more than double the 13 percent rate for married persons statewide, according to health information gathered from about 22,000 Utahns between 2001 to 2005 for the Utah Behavioral Risk Surveillance System report. The rate dropped to 22 percent as separations were finalized in divorce.

"That is not an unusual figure," said Ken Smith, professor of human development and family studies at the University of Utah, about the statistics.

Studies have shown this correlation for years, and experts offer several theories about why this is the case.

Smith said one of the most prevalent theories attributes the increase in illness to an increase in stress and the loss of physical and emotional support when a couple splits or a spouse dies.

Smith also said couples tend to make more money together than separate, contributing to health.

"Economically you're better off, and if you have more money, hey, your health is better."

But Smith is quick to say that health problems themselves can lead to the death of a spouse or cause couples to part. So it is difficult to say just how much marriage status affects health, or how much health status affects marriage.

"It's pretty clear at this point that there is a genuine positive effect of marriage on health," said Nick Wolfinger, associate professor in the U.'s department of family and consumer studies.

Wolfinger agreed with Smith, who said spouses provide support for each other, and that just having a spouse and/or children increases the chance that people will take fewer risks and more care of themselves.

Wolfinger's own studies confirm that separated or divorced persons tend to smoke and drink more.

"That's another one of those things that we've all known for years," he said.

Widowed Utahns had a rate of 19 percent reporting seven or more days of poor health. Unmarried couples had the closest rate to married persons, at 15 percent. Smith said data may be different for widowed people because they tend to be older and already have a higher rate of poor health.

Utah's rates were very close to national rates. Data gathered for the U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System report in 2005 show a national age-adjusted rate of 14 percent for married persons reporting seven or more days of poor health in the last 30, while separated persons had a rate of 25 percent and divorced persons had a rate of 20 percent. For widowed persons, the rate was also 20 percent.

As with Utah figures, the rate for unmarried couples was closest to the rate of married couples, at 15 percent

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E-mail: bcaballero@desnews.com