Pa. Bath, Self-rated health as a risk factor for prescribed drug use and future health and social service use in older people, J GERONT A, 54(11), 1999, pp. M565-M570
Citations number
10
Categorie Soggetti
Public Health & Health Care Science","Medical Research General Topics
Journal title
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES A-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
Background Self-rated health is an independent predictor of mortality in ol
der people. Recently, the need to explore other health outcomes that may be
predicted by global self-ratings of health has been identified. The aim of
this work was to explore the use of self-rated health as a predictor for F
uture health and social service use and for use of prescribed medication.
Methods. 1042 community-dwelling people aged 65 and over living in Nottingh
am, United Kingdom, were interviewed in 1985, and survivors were reintervie
wed in 1989 and 1993. Cox regression and logistic regression models were de
veloped to see whether a self-rating of health was a predictor of 12-year m
ortality and of baseline, 4-year, and 8-year health and social service use
and use of prescribed medication.
Results. Baseline self-rating of health was an independent risk factor for
12-year mortality, and for having seen the general practitioner; community
nurse, home help support in the month before the interview and for increase
d medication use. Baseline self-rating of health was also a risk factor for
4-year and 8-year use of these services and increased medication use, alth
ough it was not significant when baseline service/medication use was includ
ed in regression models.
Conclusions. Self-rating of health not only predicts mortality, but is also
useful for predicting long-term service and medication use among older peo
ple who live for a number of years.