SELF-RATED HEALTH AND SELF-ASSESSED CHANGE IN HEALTH IN ELDERLY MEN AND WOMEN - A 5-YEAR LONGITUDINAL-STUDY

The purpose of the present investigation was two fold: (1) to examine how men and women self-rate their health as they age from 75 to 80 yr and how they assess the change in their health over the five year peri od; and (2) to ascertain how self-assessed change in health over the f ollow-up period corresponded to the difference in self-ratings of heal th between the assessments performed at baseline and at follow-up. The study was part of the Evergreen-project with the study group comprisi ng all inhabitants born in 1914 (N = 388) Living in Jyvlskyla central Finland. At baseline, 93.4%, and at follow-up, 93.3%, of those who wer e eligible participated in the interview. Self-rated health, when aske d using the same questions, did not change at follow-up compared-to ba seline. However, nearly half of the follow-up group reported that thei r health had become worse over the five year period. Gender difference s in self-rated health were not found, although women reported more of ten than men that their health had become worse and some of the men sa id their health had become better. It is concluded that self-rated hea lth seems to be age-adjusted; elderly people who say their health has become worse as they age actually self-rate their health as the same o r better than before. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv ed.