Abstract
To assess the value of self-rated health assessments by examining the association between education and self-rated poor health.We used the globally representative population-based sample from the 2002 World Health Survey, composed of 219,713 men and women aged 25 and over in 69 countries, to examine the association between education and self-rated poor health. In a binary regression model with a logit link function, we used self-rated poor health as the binary dependent variable, and age, sex and education as the independent variables.Globally, there was an inverse association between years of schooling and self-rated poor health (odds ratio, OR: 0.929; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.926-0.933). Compared with the individuals in the highest quintile of years of schooling, those in the lowest quintile were twice as likely to report poor health (OR: 2.292; 95% CI: 2.165-2.426). We found a dose-response relationship between quintiles of years of schooling and the ORs for reporting poor health. This association was consistent among men and women; low-, middle- and high-income countries; and regions.Our findings suggest that self-reports of health may be useful for epidemiological investigations within countries, even in low-income settings.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 131-138 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Bulletin of the World Health Organization |
Volume | 88 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- RATED HEALTH
- MORTALITY