Can self-rated health identify US women and men with low bone mineral density? A cross-sectional population study.
BACKGROUND
Despite its simplicity, self-rated health (SRH) is a significant dimension of health assessment, with demonstrated means to identify individuals at increased risk of morbidity and mortality.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to assess whether SRH, age, and modifiable osteoporosis risk factors in a hypothetical screening situation could identify individuals with low bone mineral density (BMD).


METHODS
Data were analyzed from a multiethnic sample of 4905 women and men aged 50 to 79 years from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Low BMD was assessed according to the World Health Organization definition using gender- and race/ethnicity-specific young adult mean values to calculate T-scores. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine whether BMD was lower among those with poorer SRH; multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine whether poor SRH was associated with low BMD.


RESULTS
The study population included 616 and 589 African American; 522 and 564 Mexican American; and 1312 and 1302 white women and men, respectively. The distributions of SRH responses differed for African American and Mexican American women and men compared with the distributions for same-gender whites, with significantly more white women and men reporting excellent or very good health (P < 0.05) and significantly greater proportions of African American and Mexican American women and men reporting poorer health (P < 0.05). Among women and nonwhite men, there was no evidence of an association between BMD and SRH. Linear trends of decreasing BMD with declining SRH were detected for all men with low or normal body mass index (P < 0.001) and overweight men (P < 0.001). When stratified by race/ethnicity, a linear trend of decreasing BMD with declining SRH was found for nonobese white men only (P-trend: <0.001). The likelihood of having low BMD among nonobese white men who reported excellent or very good health was two-thirds that of their male counterparts with poor SRH (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Independent of age and modifiable osteoporosis risk factors, poor SRH may be a relevant risk factor for low BMD among older nonobese white men. Further research is needed to determine whether SRH may be a useful risk assessment tool for low BMD in this group of men.
Magnus
Jeanette H
JH
Tulane University Health Sciences Center, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA. jmagnus@tulane.edu
Broussard
Danielle L
DL
D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology*