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A cross-sectional and semantic investigation of self-rated health in the northern Sweden MONICA-study
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Family Medicine.
Department for Cultural Studies, Religious Studies and Educational Sciences, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden.
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology and Global Health. (Arcum)ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1773-6896
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Family Medicine.
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2012 (English)In: BMC Medical Research Methodology, E-ISSN 1471-2288, Vol. 12, article id 154Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: Self-Rated Health (SRH) correlates with risk of illness and death. But how are different questions of SRH to be interpreted? Does it matter whether one asks: “How would you assess your general state of health?”(General SRH) or “How would you assess your general state of health compared to persons of your own age?”(Comparative SRH)? Does the context in a questionnaire affect the answers? The aim of this paper is to examine the meaning of two questions on self-rated health, the statistical distribution of the answers, and whether the context of the question in a questionnaire affects the answers.

Methods: Statistical and semantic methodologies were used to analyse the answers of two different SRH questions in a cross-sectional survey, the MONICA-project of northern Sweden.

Results: The answers from 3504 persons were analysed. The statistical distributions of answers differed. The most common answer to the General SRH was “good”, while the most common answer to the Comparative SRH was “similar”. The semantic analysis showed that what is assessed in SRH is not health in a medical and lexical sense but fields of association connected to health, for example health behaviour, functional ability, youth, looks, way of life. The meaning and function of the two questions differ – mainly due to the comparing reference in Comparative SRH. The context in the questionnaire may have affected the statistics.

Conclusions: Health is primarily assessed in terms of its sense-relations (associations) and Comparative SRH and General SRH contain different information on SRH. Comparative SRH is semantically more distinct. The context of the questions in a questionnaire may affect the way self-rated health questions are answered. Comparative SRH should not be eliminated from use in questionnaires. Its usefulness in clinical encounters should be investigated.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
BioMed Central, 2012. Vol. 12, article id 154
National Category
General Practice Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-64328DOI: 10.1186/1471-2288-12-154ISI: 000313577600001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-84867126259OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-64328DiVA, id: diva2:600160
Available from: 2013-01-23 Created: 2013-01-23 Last updated: 2024-01-17Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Self-rated health: from epidemiology to patient encounter
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Self-rated health: from epidemiology to patient encounter
2015 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Background: In epidemiology self-rated health is often measured as people’s subjective answer to a question “How is your health in general?” or “How is your general health compared to persons of your own age?”. The answers have a strong association with significant medical outcomes such as death, diabetes, coronary heart disease, functional ability and depression, medical diagnoses and how these are perceived. The overarching aim of this thesis was to investigate if and how a use of the epidemiologists’ tool of self-rated health might aid GPs in practising medicine with a holistic perspective, contextually sensitive and taking into account the patients’ medical and personal histories.

Methods: In Paper I, I used semantics to elucidate the meaning of self-rated health. Data came from the Northern Sweden Monica Project 1990–1999. In Paper II, with data from the MONICA Project in 1999–2009, I used ordinal regression to investigate associations between self-rated health, medical factors, psychosocial factors and emotions. In Paper III, I used data from the Västerbotten Intervention Programme 1990–2004 in Cox regression analyses to investigate the relationship between self-rated health and standard risk factors for the outcome myocardial infarction. Paper IV is a qualitative study from seven primary care health centres. Actual consultations were audio-recorded and analysed with systematic text condensation, measuring apportionment of speaking time and by taking into account GPs’ assessments of using a question about comparative self-rated health in a consultation.

Results: In Paper I, I found “health” in questionnaires being understood not through definitions of health but through associations of the word “health” with “sense relations”, that are important connotations of the word “health”. Age-comparative self-rated health was semantically clearer as it pointed towards comparison with a reference group. In Paper II, emotions of anxiety or depression and discontent with personal economy were associated with lower self-rated health and were common in the population. Paper III established self-rated health as an independent risk factor for myocardial infarction when adjusted for standard risk factors. In the qualitative Paper IV, self-rated health affected consultations, increased patients’ speaking time in relation to doctors’ when discussing self-rated health and elicited reactions, sometimes with strong language. Reflections ensued that could give vivid descriptions of function, life circumstances and resources or obstacles in handling symptoms and illnesses.

Conclusion: Comparative self-rated health constitutes a feasible tool in general practice, particularly in taking account of patients’ medical and personal histories. It is holistic, sensitive to psychosocial factors. It is useful to solicit information on risk and the patient’s feelings related to an illness/disease, and to encourage the patient’s active reflection on functional abilities, life situation, health and health strategies. However, self-ratings are not to be seen as a standard procedure in all consultations.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Umeå: Umeå Universitet, 2015. p. 73
Series
Umeå University medical dissertations, ISSN 0346-6612 ; 1756
National Category
General Practice
Research subject
Family Medicine
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-109404 (URN)978-91-7601-337-3 (ISBN)
Public defence
2015-10-30, Aulan, Sunderby sjukhus, Luleå, 13:00 (Swedish)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2015-10-02 Created: 2015-09-26 Last updated: 2018-06-07Bibliographically approved

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Waller, GöranJanlert, UrbanHamberg, KatarinaForssén, Annika

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