Self-rated Health and some of its Determinants among the Elderly in Rural Areas in Egypt

Abstract

Self-rated health (SRH) is a subjective assessment of individual health status that has been well documented as a reliable predictor of functional disability and mortality in aged populations. A house to house survey conducted aiming to investigate self-rated health and some of its determinants among the elderly in two rural areas in Egypt; Dhayf and Carabigo Villages. A pre-designed interviewing questionnaire was utilized to collect information about socio-demographic data, social relations, health related variables, lifestyle, and functional abilities of the elderly. A single-item measure was utilized to assess SRH. The total number of the available elderly in the 2 villages was 99. Results revealed that poor SRH was reported among 41.4% of all elderly in the 2 villages while good SRH was reported among 58.6%. The independent predictors of poor SRH among the elderly were being principally cared by others, higher number of utilized medications, insufficient income, and lack of practicing physical exercise. Being cared principally by others was independent predictor of poor SRH among both sexes, while insufficient income and dependency in one function or more of activities of daily living (ADL) were independent predictors among elderly females only. Further studies are recommended. Socioeconomic development, health promotion and protective interventions should be accomplished to enhance functional independence and physical activities among the elderly. Preventive activities should be adopted to deal with chronic diseases and to prevent polypharmacy among the elderly.