IntroductIon Self-rated health (SRH) is a simple, easy to administer measure of general health. It is a valid and reliable measure among those without cognitive impairment. Initially, it replaced clinical assessments in survey research (1). It is commonly used in psychological research, clinical settings, and in general population surveys. SRH is typically measured as a single-item, the most co...

Although self-rated health is proposed for use in public health monitoring, previous reports on US levels and trends in self-rated health have shown ambiguous results. This study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of responses to a common self-rated health question in 4 national surveys from 1971 to 2007: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Behavioral Risk Factor Su...

INTRODUCTION Women have in general poorer self-rated health than men. Both material and psychosocial conditions have been found to be associated with self-rated health. We investigated whether two such factors, financial insecurity and condescending treatment, could explain the difference in self-rated health between women and men. METHODS The association between the two factors and self-rate...

OBJECTIVE To assess the association of sociodemographic and self-rated health in the presence of cardiovascular diseases and the association of this perception with the type of disease. METHODS A cross-sectional population survey study carried out with 1,232 individuals aged between 20 and 59 years of both genders living in the metropolitan region of Maringá-PR. Data were analyzed using multi...

This study evaluates the association of religiousness with the growth parameters characterizing changes in self-rated health during adulthood (ages 20-94 years). Even after controlling for health behaviors, social support/social activity, and four of the Big Five, women who were highly religious in 1940 had higher mean self-rated health throughout their lifespan, slower rates of linear decline,...

Do self-evaluations of general health change as individuals age? Although several perspectives point to age-related shifts, few researchers have compared them. For this article, several competing hypotheses were tested using a large, nationally representative, and longitudinal data set. The results suggest two trends. First, the correspondence between functional limitations and self-rated healt...

BACKGROUND Increases in alcohol related mortality and morbidity have been reported among older people in England over the last decade. There is, however, evidence that drinking is protective for some health conditions. The validity of this evidence has been questioned due to residual confounding and selection bias. The aim of this study is to clarify which drinking profiles and other demographi...

OBJECTIVE To analyze factors associated with self-rated health in adults. METHODS A population-based, cross-sectional study was performed with a sample of 2,051 adults aged between 20 and 59 years, in the city of Lages, Southern Brazil, in 2007. Household questionnaires were applied to obtain data on self-rated health, socioeconomic and demographic conditions, smoking habit, lifestyle and sel...

OBJECTIVE This article attests the association between self-rated health and health care utilization in a retired population by a narrative review. METHOD A systematic review was carried out from 1967 to 2007 to identify studies on self-rated health, in the databases MEDLINE, LILACS e SCIELO. The OVID software was used to Medline research. Contacts with experts were used. The key words retire...