The development of self-rated health during adolescence: an exploration of inter- and intra-cohort effects.

Self-rated health is a commonly used measure of physical health status. While the development of one's perception of self-rated health likely occurs during childhood and adolescence, its development has been largely unexplored. This study addresses this issue by examining the relationship between adolescent self-rated health and personal (sex, age) and situation (family structure, family income) factors at five different time intervals to identify inter- and intra-cohort effects as well as concomitant changes in adolescent health compromising behaviour, specifically substance use. Five waves between 1989 and 1997 of the biennial Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (OSDUS) by the Addiction Research Foundation (ARF) consisting of 19,512 cases were examined. The results indicate the presence of both inter- and intra-cohort effects on self-rated health. In addition, health-compromising behaviours had a varied effect on self-rated health across grade. This analysis confirms some previous findings but also presents contradictory evidence by identifying the complexity of relationships among these factors and self-rated health.