Abstract P575: Self-Rated Health and Mortality in the Elderly: A Comparison Between Jewish and Arab Populations in Israel

Abstract

Introduction: Self-rated health (SRH) has been shown to predict morbidity and mortality across the lifespan. However, its predictive value might differ between populations, affected by socioeconomic and cultural factors. We investigated the association between SRH and mortality among the elderly population in Israel, comparing the Jewish and Arab ethnic groups. Methods: A prospective cohort study based on the first National Health and Nutrition Survey of Older Adults (“Mabat Zahav” 2005-2006, n=1761), consisting of Jewish (n=1463) and Arab (n=298) participants. SRH was measured on a 4-point scale. Mortality data were retrieved from the National Death Registry (through 2019). Survival analysis was performed using Cox regression models, adjusted for sociodemographic factors and comorbidity burden. Results: Mean age (SD) was 75 (±6) and 72 (±5) years in the Jewish (54% women) and Arab (50% women) groups, respectively. Jewish participants were more likely to rate their health as not good or poor than Arab participants (35% vs. 29% and 11% vs. 8%, respectively, P=0.01). During a median follow-up of 13 (IQR: 8-13) years, 896 deaths occurred, 152 in the Arab group. The age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for mortality in the Arab vs. Jewish participants was 1.33 (95% CI: 1.12-1.60). Mortality HRs associated with SRH by ethnicity are shown in the Table. A stepwise increase in the adjusted risk was observed with increasing SRH in both ethnic groups, with no interaction detected. Conclusions: Although Jewish participants had poorer SRH, their survival rate was higher than the Arab participants. Poor SRH was equally associated with higher mortality in both groups. Further research is warranted to understand better the factors influencing SRH gradings in Jewish vs. Arab older adults.