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The increasing predictive validity of self-rated health
Jason Schnittker1, Valerio Bacak1
1University of Pennsylvania, Department of Sociology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Plos One
|January 28, 2014
Summary
The predictive validity of self-rated health for mortality has increased over time. Better health assessments by individuals contribute to a stronger link between perceived health and actual survival, possibly due to increased health information access.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Public Health
- Gerontology
Background:
- Self-rated health (SRH) is a strong predictor of mortality.
- Concerns exist that SRH predictive validity may decline due to medicalization and rising health expectations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the changing relationship between self-rated health and mortality from 1980 to 2002.
- To investigate potential mechanisms driving changes in SRH predictive validity.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of linked General Social Survey (1980-2002) and National Death Index (through 2008) data.
- Repeated cross-sectional study design.
- Exploration of mediating factors like education, cognitive ability, and health information sources.
Main Results:
- The predictive validity of self-rated health for mortality has significantly increased over time.
- Individuals in 2002 demonstrated better health assessment accuracy than in 1980.
- Increased schooling and cognitive ability did not explain the growing SRH-mortality association.
- Exposure to health information, particularly non-internet sources, showed a stronger association.
Conclusions:
- Self-rated health has become a more accurate predictor of mortality.
- Increased access to and utilization of health information may be driving this trend.
- The source of health information influences the strength of the self-rated health-mortality relationship.
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