[How is self-rated health associated with mortality?]

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Self-rated health is a common metric in population health studies.
• Investigating the link between self-rated health and mortality is crucial for public health.
• The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 1) provides a robust dataset for this research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between self-rated health and mortality in a Norwegian population.
• To determine if self-rated health is a predictor of mortality.
• To compare the mortality risk associated with poor self-rated health to that of diagnosed chronic conditions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 1), involving 76,793 adults.
• Employed Cox' regression analyses to estimate mortality risks.
• Adjusted analyses for age, education, and chronic disease status.

Main Results:

• Poor self-rated health was associated with a 2.37-fold increased mortality risk for both men and women, adjusted for covariates.
• The mortality risk for poor self-rated health (hazard ratio 2.99) exceeded that of self-reported myocardial infarction (2.02) and diabetes (1.99).
• These associations remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, education, and chronic disease.

Conclusions:

• Adults reporting poor self-rated health exhibit a significantly higher mortality risk compared to those with good self-rated health.
• Self-rated health emerged as a stronger predictor of mortality than self-reported myocardial infarction or diabetes.
• Self-rated health is a valuable and potent indicator for population health surveillance and risk assessment.