Self-rated Health: Changes, Trajectories, and Their Antecedents Among African Americans

Overview

Journal J Aging Health

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialty Geriatrics

Date 2008 Jan 15

PMID 18192487

Citations 19

Authors

Fredric D Wolinsky

Thomas R Miller

Theodore K Malmstrom

J Philip Miller

Mario Schootman

Elena M Andresen

Douglas K Miller

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Little is known about changes in self-rated health (SRH) among African Americans.

Method: We examined SRH changes and trajectories among 998 African Americans 49 to 65 years old who we reinterviewed annually for 4 years, using multinomial logistic regression and mixed effect models.

Results: Fifty-five percent had the same SRH at baseline and 4 years later, 25% improved, and 20% declined. Over time, men were more likely to report lower SRH levels, individuals with hypertension were less likely to report lower SRH levels, and those with congestive heart failure at baseline were more likely to report higher SRH levels. Lower SRH trajectory intercepts were observed for those with lower socioeconomic status, poorer health habits, disease history, and worse functional status. Those with better cognitive status had higher SRH trajectory intercepts.

Discussion: The decline in SRH levels among 49- to 65-year-old African Americans is comparable to that of Whites.

Citing Articles

Trajectories of Subjective Health: Testing Longitudinal Models for Self-rated Health From Adolescence to Midlife.

Bollen K, Gutin I Demography. 2021; 58(4):1547-1574.

PMID: 34236430 PMC: 8607844. DOI: 10.1215/00703370-9368980.

Assessing the Validity of Self-rated Health Across Ethnic Groups: Implications for Health Disparities Research.

Erving C, Zajdel R J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2021; 9(2):462-477.

PMID: 33544329 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-021-00977-x.

Racial stratification in self-rated health among Black Mexicans and White Mexicans.

Marquez-Velarde G, Jones N, Keith V SSM Popul Health. 2020; 10:100509.

PMID: 32025566 PMC: 6997553. DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100509.

Gender gap in self-rated health in South Korea compared with the United States.

Lee S, Kim S, Yoo K, Lee S, Park E Int J Clin Health Psychol. 2018; 16(1):11-20.

PMID: 30487846 PMC: 6225050. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2015.08.004.

Self-Rated Health Trajectories among Married Americans: Do Disparities Persist over 20 Years?.

Berdahl T, McQuillan J J Aging Res. 2018; 2018:1208598.

PMID: 29593904 PMC: 5821994. DOI: 10.1155/2018/1208598.

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