Chenoa D Allen1, Clea A McNeely2, John G Orme3. 1. Department of Public Health, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee. Electronic address: callen17@utk.edu. 2. Department of Public Health, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee. 3. College of Social Work, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Health disparities research seeks to understand and eliminate differences in health based on social status. Self-rated health is often used to document health disparities across racial/ethnic and immigrant groups, yet its validity for such comparative research has not been established. To be useful in disparities research, self-rated health must measure the same construct in all groups, that is, a given level of self-rated health should reflect the same level of mental and physical health in each group. This study asks, Is the relationship between self-rated health and four indicators of health status--body mass index, chronic conditions, functional limitations, and depressive symptoms--similar for adolescents and young adults of different races/ethnicities and immigrant generations? METHODS: Ordinary least squares regression was used to examine associations of self-rated health with the four indicators of health status both cross-sectionally and longitudinally using four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. RESULTS: Health indicators explained similar amounts of variance in self-rated health for all racial/ethnic and immigrant generation groups. The cross-sectional association between the health indicators and self-rated health did not vary across groups. The longitudinal association between depressive symptoms and chronic conditions and self-rated health also did not differ across groups. However, an increase in body mass index was associated more negatively with later self-rated health for Asians than for whites or blacks. CONCLUSIONS: Self-rated health is valid for disparities research in large, population-based surveys of US adolescents and young adults. In many of these surveys self-rated health is the only measure of health.
PURPOSE: Health disparities research seeks to understand and eliminate differences in health based on social status. Self-rated health is often used to document health disparities across racial/ethnic and immigrant groups, yet its validity for such comparative research has not been established. To be useful in disparities research, self-rated health must measure the same construct in all groups, that is, a given level of self-rated health should reflect the same level of mental and physical health in each group. This study asks, Is the relationship between self-rated health and four indicators of health status--body mass index, chronic conditions, functional limitations, and depressive symptoms--similar for adolescents and young adults of different races/ethnicities and immigrant generations? METHODS: Ordinary least squares regression was used to examine associations of self-rated health with the four indicators of health status both cross-sectionally and longitudinally using four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. RESULTS: Health indicators explained similar amounts of variance in self-rated health for all racial/ethnic and immigrant generation groups. The cross-sectional association between the health indicators and self-rated health did not vary across groups. The longitudinal association between depressive symptoms and chronic conditions and self-rated health also did not differ across groups. However, an increase in body mass index was associated more negatively with later self-rated health for Asians than for whites or blacks. CONCLUSIONS: Self-rated health is valid for disparities research in large, population-based surveys of US adolescents and young adults. In many of these surveys self-rated health is the only measure of health.
Authors: Adrian Matias Bacong; Anna K Hing; Brittany Morey; Catherine M Crespi; Maria Midea Kabamalan; Nanette R Lee; May C Wang; A B de Castro; Gilbert C Gee Journal: PLOS Glob Public Health Date: 2022-07-22