Abstract
BackgroundThe distributions of socioeconomic status (SES) factors have been changing in Japan. We examined the relationships among SES and self-rated health (SRH) in Japanese adults.MethodsWe analyzed 1,178 men and 1,555 women. We showed the distribution of SRH by sex and age and examined cross-sectional relationships among educational attainment, marital/living statuses, working status, household income and expenditure, and fine SRH (defined as excellent, very good, or good). We adjusted for age, subjective symptoms, visiting doctors, monthly equivalent household expenditure (EHE), and living in their own house.ResultsThe age-standardized prevalence of fine SRH was 79% and 73% among men and women, respectively. Among men, graduating from high school (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07–2.19, relative to graduating from elementary or junior high school) and university or junior college (aOR 1.74; 95% CI, 1.15–2.62) was associated with fine SRH. Among women, graduating from university or junior college was associated with fine SRH (aOR 1.65; 95% CI, 1.12–2.46). Neither marital/living status nor working status was associated with SRH after adjustments for age in either sex. Among women, high EHE and income were associated with fine SRH (the highest expenditure group: aOR 1.80; 95% CI, 1.22–2.65; the highest income group: aOR 2.15; 95% CI, 1.34–3.46, relative to the corresponding lowest group). These simple relationships were not observed for men.ConclusionsHigh educational attainment was associated with fine SRH. Relationships among household income, EHE, and fine SRH differed by sex.
Highlights
Self-rated health (SRH), a subjective perception of an individual’s overall health, is a powerful predictor of all-cause mortality in general populations.[1,2] self-rated health (SRH) is typically assessed using a single question that asks the respondents to rate their overall health on a scale from excellent to poor.[3]
In order to assist in the interpretation of relationships among each socioeconomic status (SES) variable and fine SRH, we examined the relationships among age and each SES variable using the chi-squared test separately by sex
Working status was significantly associated with fine SRH; the relationship did not remain significant after adjustment for age
Summary
Self-rated health (SRH), a subjective perception of an individual’s overall health, is a powerful predictor of all-cause mortality in general populations.[1,2] SRH is typically assessed using a single question that asks the respondents to rate their overall health on a scale from excellent to poor.[3] The SRH of the general population in Japan has been officially assessed every 3 years in the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (CSLC), a nationwide cross-sectional survey conducted in a representative general population. According to the CSLC conducted in June 2010 (CSLC2010), the prevalence of Japanese adults with fine SRH defined as excellent, very good, or good SRH was 74% and 71% among men and women, respectively.[4]. The distributions of socioeconomic status (SES) factors have been changing in Japan. We examined the relationships among SES and self-rated health (SRH) in Japanese adults
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