Self-rated health in urban adults, perceptions of the physical and social environment, and reported comorbidities: The BH Health Study

• Published in: Cadernos de saúde pública 2015-11, Vol.31 Suppl 1 (suppl 1), p.120-135
• Main Authors: Meireles, Adriana Lúcia, Xavier, César Coelho, Andrade, Amanda Cristina de Souza, Friche, Amélia Augusta de Lima, Proietti, Fernando Augusto, Caiaffa, Waleska Teixeira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Brazil; Estado de Salud; Female; Health Policy & Services; Health Status; Health Surveys; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Morbilidad; Poisson Distribution; Risk Factors; Salud Urbana; Self Report; Socioeconomic Factors; Urban Health - statistics & numerical data; Urban Population - statistics & numerical data; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0102-311X; 1678-4464; 1678-4464; 0102-311X
• DOI: 10.1590/0102-311X00076114

This study assesses the prevalence of poor self-rated health and investigates its association with individual and environmental characteristics in adults with and without reported morbidity. A household survey assessed 4,048 adults in two districts of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. We used Poisson regression with robust variance stratified by the presence of reported morbidity. Prevalence of poor self-rated health was 29.9% (42.6% in those with morbidity and 13.1% in the group without morbidity). All assessed domains were associated with self-rated health in subjects with reported morbidity. In the group without reported morbidity, the following were associated with self-rated health: social environment, socio-demographic factors, lifestyle, and psychological health. Perceived problems in the environment were associated with poor self-rated health in both groups, even after hierarchical adjustment. The results suggest the importance of investigating self-rated health stratified by reported morbidity and reinforce the need to include variables that characterize the physical and social environment.