The meanings of self-ratings of health - A qualitative and quantitative approach

Self-ratings of health are central measures of health status that predict o utcomes such as mortality and declines in functional ability. Qualitative a nd quantitative data are used to test the hypothesis that definitions of he alth that are narrowly biomedical are associated with underestimates of sel f-ratings relative to respondents' medical histories, while definitions tha t are broad and inclusive are related to relatively better self-ratings. A sample of 159 elderly African Americans rates their health and reports "wha t went through your mind." Analysis of variance shows that respondents who overestimate their health are more likely to report ratings based on social activities and relationships, or psychological, emotional, or spiritual ch aracteristics, rather than biomedical criteria. The authors conclude that i nclusive definitions of health facilitate more positive self-ratings of hea lth, given a fixed health status; methodologically, they conclude that this is a promising method for exploring self-ratings of health.