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Self-rated health and standard risk factors for myocardial infarction: a cohort study
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Family Medicine.
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, Epidemiology and Global Health. (Arcum)ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2475-7131
Research Unit, County Council of Norrbotten, Luleå, Sweden.
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2015 (English)In: BMJ Open, E-ISSN 2044-6055, Vol. 5, article id e006589Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Objective: To investigate the relationship between self-rated health, adjusted for standard risk factors, and myocardial infarction.

Design: Population-based prospective cohort study.

Setting: Enrolment took place between 1990 and 2004 in Västerbotten County, Sweden

Participants: Every year, persons in the total population, aged 40, 50 or 60 were invited. Participation rate was 60%. The cohort consisted of 75 386 men and women. After exclusion for stroke or myocardial infarction before, or within 12 months after enrolment or death within 12 months after enrolment, 72 530 persons remained for analysis. Mean follow-up time was 13.2 years.

Outcome measures: Cox regression analysis was used to estimate HRs for the end point of first non-fatal or fatal myocardial infarction. HR were adjusted for age, sex, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, body mass index, education, physical activity and self-rated health in the categories very good; pretty good; somewhat good; pretty poor or poor.

Results: In the cohort, 2062 persons were diagnosed with fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction. Poor selfrated health adjusted for sex and age was associated with the outcome with HR 2.03 (95% CI 1.45 to 2.84). All categories of self-rated health worse than very good were statistically significant and showed a dose–response relationship. In a multivariable analysis with standard risk factors (not including physical activity and education) HR was attenuated to 1.61 (95% CI 1.13 to 2.31) for poor self-rated health. All categories of self-rated health remained statistically significant. We found no interaction between self-rated health and standard risk factors except for poor self-rated health and diabetes.

Conclusions: This study supports the use of self-rated health as a standard risk factor among others for myocardial infarction. It remains to demonstrate whether self-rated health adds predictive value for myocardial infarction in combined algorithms with standard risk factors.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2015. Vol. 5, article id e006589
Keywords [en]
Self-rated Health, Cox regression, Cohort, Risk Factors, Myocardial Infarction
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Research subject
Family Medicine
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-100224DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006589ISI: 000363455400020PubMedID: 25681313Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-84923673977OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-100224DiVA, id: diva2:790863
Available from: 2015-02-26 Created: 2015-02-26 Last updated: 2023-08-28Bibliographically 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, UrbanNorberg, MargaretaForssén, Annika

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