Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2017 Nov 1;46(6):932-939.
doi: 10.1093/ageing/afx126.

Self-rated health and its association with mortality in older adults in China, India and Latin America-a 10/66 Dementia Research Group study

Hanna Falk  1   2 , Ingmar Skoog  1   2 , Lena Johansson  1   2 , Maëlenn Guerchet  3 , Rosie Mayston  3 , Helena Hörder  1   2 , Martin Prince  3 , A Matthew Prina  3
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Self-rated health and its association with mortality in older adults in China, India and Latin America-a 10/66 Dementia Research Group study

Hanna Falk et al. Age Ageing. .

Abstract

Background: empirical evidence from high-income countries suggests that self-rated health (SRH) is useful as a brief and simple outcome measure in public health research. However, in many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) there is a lack of evaluation and the cross-cultural validity of SRH remains largely untested. This study aims to explore the prevalence of SRH and its association with mortality in older adults in LMIC in order to cross-culturally validate the construct of SRH.

Methods: population-based cohort studies including 16,940 persons aged ≥65 years in China, India, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico and Puerto Rico in 2003. SRH was assessed by asking 'how do you rate your overall health in the past 30 days' with responses ranging from excellent to poor. Covariates included socio-demographic characteristics, use of health services and health factors. Mortality was ascertained through a screening of all respondents until 2007.

Results: the prevalence of good SRH was higher in urban compared to rural sites, except in China. Men reported higher SRH than women, and depression had the largest negative impact on SRH in all sites. Without adjustment, those with poor SRH showed a 142% increase risk of dying within 4 years compared to those with moderate SRH. After adjusting for all covariates, those with poor SRH still showed a 43% increased risk.

Conclusion: our findings support the use of SRH as a simple measure in survey settings to identify vulnerable groups and evaluate health interventions in resource-scares settings.

Keywords: 10/66 Dementia Research Group; Older people; low- and middle-income countries; mortality; self-rated health.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Leinonen R, Heikkinen E, Jylhä M. Predictors of decline in self-assessments of health among older people—a 5-year longitudinal study. Soc Sci Med 2001; 52: 1329–41. - PubMed
    1. Galenkamp H, Deeg DJ, Huisman M, Hervonen A, Braam AW, Jylhä M. Is self-rated health still sensitive for changes in disease and functioning among nonagenarians? J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2013; 68: 848–58. - PubMed
    1. DeSalvo KB, Bloser N, Reynolds K, He J, Muntner P. Mortality prediction with a single general self‐rated health question. J Gen Intern Med 2006; 21: 267–75. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Idler EL, Benyamini Y. Self-rated health and mortality: a review of twenty-seven community studies. J Health Soc Behav 1997; 38: 21–37. - PubMed
    1. Stanojevic Jerkovic O, Sauliūnė S, Šumskas L, Birt C, Kersnik J. Determinants of self-rated health in elderly populations in urban areas in Slovenia, Lithuania and UK: findings of the EURO-URHIS 2 survey. Eur J Public Health 2017; 27(suppl_2):74–9. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms