Self-reported health: a study of older adults from a developing country--Nepal

Self-reported health is an easy measure of overall health and is useful in identifying persons at risk of a decline in health and the risk of disability in older adults. The purpose of this paper is to identify the correlates of self-reported health for older adults in Nepal. The subjects (N = 137) were members of the Chhetri caste who were 60 years or older (mean age 69.1 +/- 7.2 years; 54% women) and living in Katmandu City. Data were collected by face-to face interviews using three self-reported health questions. A single scale was developed from the three self-reported questions. Bivariate analysis and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the results. The findings show a correlation between self-reported health and sex, household status, living arrangements, social participation, chronic health problems, functional disability in activities of daily living (ADL), employment status, and economic satisfaction. Results of multiple regression analysis indicate that factors for self-reported health among older adults are chronic health problems, economic satisfaction, functional disability in ADLs, and social participation.