Nutrition Insecurity, Chronic Disease, and Dietary Habits Explain Low Perceptions of Self-Rated Health

Self-rated health (SRH), an indicator of overall health status, has been associated with morbidity and mortality. Yet links between SRH and nutrition are lacking, especially in conjunction with other characteristics affecting SRH. Therefore, the study objective was to identify significant sociodemographic/socioeconomic, chronic disease, dietary habits, and food environment explanatory variables for perceptions of self-rated health (SRH). Data were collected in 2021 and consisted of households at risk of or experiencing food insecurity. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify significant explanatory variables for SRH. Of the 54% of participants with low SRH, 43% had nutrition insecurity and 66% had one or more chronic disease. For participants with high SRH, 25% had nutrition insecurity and 32% had one or more chronic disease. Household income, fruit and vegetable intake, and scratch-cooked meals consumption were protective against low SRH (5%-16% decrease in odds). Participants with low SRH were 1.8 and 4.3 times as likely to have nutrition insecurity and one or more chronic disease, respectively than participants with high SRH. Perceptions of one's health are positively associated with healthful dietary habits and negatively associated with nutrition insecurity and presence of chronic disease.