Journal
AGE AND AGEING
Volume 46, Issue 6, Pages 932-939Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afx126
Keywords
Older people; self-rated health; mortality; low- and middle-income countries; 10/66 Dementia Research Group
Categories
Funding
- Wellcome Trust Health Consequences of Population Change Program [GR066133, GR08002]
- WHO (India)
- WHO (Dominican Republic)
- WHO (China)
- US Alzheimer's Association (Peru) [IIRG-04-1286]
- US Alzheimer's Association (Mexico) [IIRG-04-1286]
- FONACIT/CDCH/UCV (Venezuela)
- MRC [MR/K021907/1]
- Rockefeller Foundation
- European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme [635316]
- Swedish Research Council [2015-02830, 2013-8717]
- Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, FORTE [2013-2300, 2013-2496]
- University of Gothenburg UGOT Challenge, Gothenburg Sweden
- MRC [MR/K021907/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- Swedish Research Council [2015-02830] Funding Source: Swedish Research Council
- Medical Research Council [MR/K021907/1] Funding Source: researchfish
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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.
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