title: Cut-point shift and index shift in self-reported health.
abstract: There is some concern that ordered responses on health questions may differ across populations or even across subgroups of a population. This reporting heterogeneity may invalidate group comparisons and measures of health inequality. This paper proposes a test for differential reporting in ordered response models which enables to distinguish between cut-point shift and index shift. The method is illustrated using Canadian National Population Health Survey data. The McMaster Health Utility Index Mark 3 (HUI3) is used as a more objective health measure than the simple five-point scale of self-assessed health. We find clear evidence of index shifting and cut-point shifting for age and gender, but not for income, education or language.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Tinbergen Institute Amsterdam, Free University of Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1005, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands. mlindeboom@feweb.vu.nl
authors.forename: Maarten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lindeboom
authors.forename: Eddy
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van Doorslaer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D002170:Canada; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011594:Psychometrics; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors