SELF-RATED HEALTH AMONG HISPANIC VS NON-HISPANIC WHITE ADULTS - THE SAN-LUIS VALLEY HEALTH AND AGING STUDY

Objectives. This study investigated whether objective health indicator s explained lower self-rated health among Hispanics compared with non- Hispanic Whites. It also considered socioeconomic and cultural explana tions. Methods. Health ratings of 429 Hispanics and 583 non-Hispanic W hites aged 20 through 74 were analyzed with logistic regression. Resul ts. Illness indicators were found to be strongly correlated with self- rated health in both ethnic groups, but after such markers were contro lled for, Hispanics remained 3.6 times more likely to report fair or p oor health (95% confidence interval = 2.4, 5.3). Adjustment for socioe conomic factors accounted for a portion of Hispanics' lower health rat ing, but the strongest explanatory factor was acculturation. Conclusio ns. Because of cultural and economic influences on definitions of heal th, ethnic differences in self-assessed health may not accurately refl ected patterns resulting from objective health requirements.