IS SELF-RATED HEALTH COMPARABLE ACROSS CULTURES AND GENDERS

Self-rated health is a frequently used health indicator, but there is little data on its comparability across cultures. Ne employed samples from Tampere, Finland, and Florence, Italy, of the European Longitudin al Study on Aging to examine the cultural and gender differences in se lf-rated health;lr. Personal interview data was used and vital status ascertained after 7 years. After adjusting for several health-related variables, we found no substantial difference in self-rated health bet ween genders, although women in Florence were three times and melt in Florence four limes more likely to report good self-rated health than men in Tampere. The correlational structure of self-rated health was s imilar bl befit areas. The significant graded association between self -rated health and mortality ill both areas was mostly explained by oth er health indicators included in a multivariate model. Results suggest that self-rated health is a useful summary of physical health but it may predict mortality better in men than in women and be sensitive to cultural environment. Therefore, direct gender and cultural comparison s of self-rated health should be made with caution.