Some correlates of self-rated health for Australian women

Am J Public Health. 1997 Jun;87(6):951-6. doi: 10.2105/ajph.87.6.951.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to identify some of the correlates of self-rated health for young to middle-aged Australian women.

Methods: Regression analyses were based on a 4-year longitudinal study using a random sample of Sydney women 20 to 59 years of age at baseline. Participants were interviewed in 1986/87 and 1990.

Results: Cross-sectional relationships between self-assessed health and other health measures varied significantly by age, although physical health was a common correlate. Sixty-three percent of participants reported a similar rating of health over the 4-year period between the surveys. Changes in self-assessed health were sensitive to chronic disease. Also, participants' self-ratings of health were related to their subsequent chronic disease status.

Conclusions: Self-rated health reflects a complex process of internalized calculations that encompass both lived experience and knowledge of disease causes and consequences. Women seem to take into consideration a broad range of factors, including lifestyle, vitality, mental attitude, and age, and, if they have a health condition, the chronicity of their disease, duration since diagnosis, and treatment.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age Distribution
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Health Status*
  • Health Surveys
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Middle Aged
  • New South Wales
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Women's Health*