Factors associated with self-rated health among older men in a medium-sized city in Brazil

Abstract 

Background

This study aimed to characterize self-rated health and to investigate associations between that variable and socio-demographic and health conditions in older men in a medium-sized Brazilian city.

Methods

Subjects eligible for this cross-sectional study included older males residing in the municipality who were interviewed during the influenza immunisation campaign in 2006. A descriptive analysis of the variables was performed, exploring associations between self-rated health and a number of co-variables, using prevalence ratios (PR). Multivariate analysis used Poisson regression.

Results

The study population consisted of 2,876 men with a mean age of 70.01 years (standard deviation=7.21), the majority were married and with low schooling. A major portion reported having a regular physician, using public health care services, and making regular use of medication. Fair to poor health was reported by nearly 40% of these older men. In the bivariate analysis, different factors were associated with negative self-rated health, whilst in the multivariate model the following remained associated with fair or poor self-rated health: number of chronic conditions, regular use of medication (PR=1.67, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.43–1.94), recent hospitalization (PR=1.48, 95% CI=1.33–1.65), not currently working (PR=1.34, 95% CI=1.17–1.52), low schooling (PR=1.29, 95% CI=1.13–1.48), and being a user of the public health care system (PR=1.37, 95% CI=1.21–1.54).

Conclusion

These findings corroborate the hypothesis that various issues are related to self-rated health in the elderly. Considering that self-rated health is a good indicator of objective health conditions in this age group, health services should develop strategies to capture older men with a risk profile for poor self-rated health.

Keywords: Self-assessment, Men, Aging, Health of the elderly, Health determinants