Abstract
BackgroundSelf-rated health (SRH) has been demonstrated as a valid and appropriate predictor of incident mortality and chronic morbidity. Associations between lifestyle, chronic diseases, and SRH have been reported by various population studies but few have included data from developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of poor SRH in Malaysia and its association with lifestyle factors and chronic diseases among Malaysian adults.MethodsThis study was based on 18,184 adults aged 18 and above who participated in the 2011 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS). The NHMS was a cross-sectional survey (two-stage stratified sample) designed to collect health information on a nationally representative sample of the Malaysian adult population. Data were obtained via face-to-face interviews using validated questionnaires. Two categories were used to measure SRH: “good” (very good and good) and “poor” (moderate, not good and very bad). The association of lifestyle factors and chronic diseases with poor SRH was examined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression.ResultsApproximately one-fifth of the Malaysian adult population (20.1 %) rated their health as poor (men: 18.4 % and women: 21.7 %). Prevalence increases with age from 16.2 % (aged 18–29) to 32.0 % (aged ≥60). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, lifestyle factors associated with poor SRH included: underweight (OR = 1.29; 95 % CI: 1.05–1.57), physical inactivity (OR = 1.25; 95 % CI: 1.11–1.39), former smoker (OR = 1.38; 95 % CI: 1.12–1.70), former drinker (OR = 1.27; 95 % CI: 1.01–1.62), and current drinker (OR = 1.35; 95 % CI: 1.08–1.68). Chronic diseases associated with poor SRH included: asthma (OR = 1.66; 95 % CI: 1.36–2.03), arthritis (OR = 1.87; 95 % CI: 1.52–2.29), hypertension (OR = 1.39; 95 % CI: 1.18–1.64), hypercholesterolemia (OR = 1.43; 95 % CI: 1.18–1.74), and heart disease (OR = 1.85; 95 % CI: 1.43–2.39).ConclusionsThis study indicates that several unhealthy lifestyle behaviours and chronic diseases are significantly associated with poor SRH among Malaysian adults. Effective public health strategies are needed to promote healthy lifestyles, and disease prevention interventions should be enhanced at the community level to improve overall health.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-2080-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Self-rated health (SRH) has been demonstrated as a valid and appropriate predictor of incident mortality and chronic morbidity
Previous empirical studies have found that lifestyle factors and chronic diseases are strongly associated with self-rated health (SRH) [3,4,5]
In line with previous studies [46, 53, 54] that support the negative effects of alcohol consumption on SRH, our study showed that current drinkers were associated with greater likelihood of poor SRH compared with non-drinkers
Summary
Self-rated health (SRH) has been demonstrated as a valid and appropriate predictor of incident mortality and chronic morbidity. Previous empirical studies have found that lifestyle factors and chronic diseases are strongly associated with self-rated health (SRH) [3,4,5]. SRH is an established predictor of morbidity and mortality and has been widely used to measure health inequalities in public health research [9, 10]. It has been recognised as a reliable and valid health indicator that is based on a simple question in which respondents are asked to rate their current general health status on a four- or five-point scale ranging from “very good (excellent)” to “very poor” [9]. The SRH is frequently used in population health surveys because the data are collected; SRH has been extensively studied in Western populations [11]
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