Self-rated health among Hispanic vs non-Hispanic white adults: the San Luis Valley Health and Aging Study.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated whether objective health indicators explained lower self-rated health among Hispanics compared with non-Hispanic Whites. It also considered socioeconomic and cultural explanations.


METHODS
Health ratings of 429 Hispanics and 583 non-Hispanic Whites aged 20 through 74 were analyzed with logistic regression.


RESULTS
Illness indicators were found to be strongly correlated with self-rated health in both ethnic groups, but after such markers were controlled for, Hispanics remained 3.6 times more likely to report fair or poor health (95% confidence interval = 2.4, 5.3). Adjustment for socioeconomic factors accounted for a portion of Hispanics' lower health rating, but the strongest explanatory factor was acculturation.


CONCLUSIONS
Because of cultural and economic influences on definitions of health, ethnic differences in self-assessed health may not accurately reflected patterns resulting from objective health measurements.
Shetterly
S M
SM
Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver 80262, USA.
Baxter
J
J
Mason
L D
LD
Hamman
R F
RF
D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*