Self-rated health and race among Hispanic and non-Hispanic adults

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the association between race and self-rated health among Hispanics and non-Hispanics using data from the National Health Interview Survey 2000-2003.

Methods: This analysis was limited to Hispanic and non-Hispanic whites and blacks > or =18 years of age. The outcome was self-rated health. The main independent variable was race/ethnicity, and potential confounders included sociodemographic characteristics, access to care, health behaviors, and comorbidities.

Results: Non-Hispanic blacks exhibited the highest prevalence of fair/poor self-rated health compared to their white counterparts. In the adjusted analyses, compared to non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.16-1.43), Hispanic whites (OR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.14-1.52) and blacks (OR: 2.19; 95% CI: 1.07-4.49) were more likely to rate their health as fair/poor. There was no difference in self-rated health between Hispanic and non-Hispanic blacks.

Discussion: This study underscores the importance of accounting for the racial heterogeneity among Hispanics when presenting health data. Ignoring race could mask health variations among Hispanics.