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. 2024 Jun 21;40(6):e00149323.
doi: 10.1590/0102-311XEN149323. eCollection 2024.

Self-rated health and sociodemographic inequalities among Venezuelan adults: a study based on the National Survey of Living Conditions (ENCOVI 2021)

[Article in English, Portuguese]
Dalia Elena Romero  1   2 , Anitza Freitez  2 , Leo Ramos Maia  3 , Nathalia Andrade de Souza  1
Affiliations

Self-rated health and sociodemographic inequalities among Venezuelan adults: a study based on the National Survey of Living Conditions (ENCOVI 2021)

[Article in English, Portuguese]
Dalia Elena Romero et al. Cad Saude Publica. .

Erratum in

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Self-rated health is an indicator that can be easily identified in health surveys, widely used to measure physical, social, mental, and health aspects of the population, and predict premature mortality. In Venezuela, this information only began to be collected recently, in the National Survey of Living Conditions (ENCOVI). In this context, our study aims to analyze the demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with non-positive self-rated health among Venezuelan adults. The ENCOVI 2021 (n = 16,803) was used as a data source, assessing a probability stratified sample with questions about health, education, emigration, and other social and economic aspects. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratio analyses were performed using Poisson regression models with robust variance. The prevalence of fair/bad self-rated health among Venezuelans was 17.8%. The results indicated a strong association between outcome prevalence and age group, 3.81 times higher (95%CI: 3.29-4.41) among individuals aged 60 or more when compared to individuals aged 18 to 29 years. Also, participants experiencing severe food insecurity had a prevalence 2 times higher (95%CI: 1.61-2.47) than those who did not have any level of food insecurity. Factors such as poverty, education, recent emigration of family members, and sex also showed a significant influence, also when analyzed independently. The results show that special attention should be dedicated to the health of individuals facing hunger and of the older people.

La autoevaluación de salud es un indicador de simple captación en encuestas de salud, muy utilizado en investigaciones para medir aspectos físicos, sociales, mentales y de salud de la población, además de predecir la mortalidad precoz. En el caso de los venezolanos, esta información recién comenzó a recopilarse en la Encuesta Nacional de Condiciones de Vida (ENCOVI). En este contexto, el objetivo del estudio es analizar los factores demográficos y socioeconómicos asociados con la autoevaluación de salud no positiva entre los venezolanos adultos. Se utiliza la ENCOVI 2021 como fuente de datos (n = 16.803), que tiene una muestra probabilística y estratificada, además de preguntas sobre salud, educación, migración y otros aspectos sociales y económicos. Se realizaron análisis de la razón de prevalencia crudos y ajustados, estimados a través de modelos de regresión de Poisson con varianza robusta. La prevalencia de la autoevaluación de salud regular/mala entre los venezolanos fue del 17,8%. Los resultados mostraron una fuerte asociación entre la prevalencia del resultado y el grupo de edad, siendo 3,81 veces mayor (IC95%: 3,29-4,41) entre las personas con 60 años o más, en comparación con las de 18 a 29 años. Además, los participantes en situación de inseguridad alimentaria grave presentaron una prevalencia 2 veces mayor (IC95%: 1,61-2,47) que aquellos que no enfrentaron ningún nivel de inseguridad alimentaria. Factores como pobreza, escolaridad, emigración reciente de familiares y género también demostraron una influencia significativa, aun cuando analizados de manera independiente. Los resultados resaltan la necesidad de prestar especial atención a la salud de los que enfrentan hambre y de las personas mayores.

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