title: Factors influencing self-perception of health status.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate subjective health status of Łódź adult population and to determine the factors affecting their self-perception of health. The study population consisted of randomly selected 1,056 adults aged 20-74 years from L6di district. Logistic regression model was applied to assess the factors influencing the self-perception of health. More than 30% of study subjects described their health as poor or very poor. There were no statistically significant differences between men and women regarding self-perception of health (p>0.05). Older people more frequently reported their health as poor and very poor compared to those younger than 25 years of age. Four percent of men and 10% of women younger than 25 years of age described their health as poor or very poor whereas in age category 45-54 years that percentage increased to more than 40% (men RR=16.3; p<0.001, women RR=7.5; p<0.001), in 55-64 to 60% (men RR=18.6; p<0.001, women RR=10.0; p<0.001) and for people older than 64 years of age to 60% for men (RR=12.6; p<0.01) and 72% for women (RR=13.4; p<0.001). People with lower educational degree perceived their health as worse compared to those with university diploma (men RR=5.3; p<0.001; women 4.6; p<0.001). The risk of indicating the health as poor or very poor was 3.4 times higher for unemployed men comparing to employed (p<0.001) and 1.5 for unemployed women compared to employed (p>0.05). Men indicating no leisure-time physical activity significantly more frequently described their health as poor or very poor than men with satisfactory level of recreational physical activity (RR=2.2; p<0.01). Current and former smoker men described their health as worse compared to non-smokers (current smokers RR=1.5; p>0.05; former smokers RR=1.8; p>0.05). Preventive programs aimed at improving self-perceived health should concentrate on increasing recreational physical activity and elimination of smoking. Those actions should in particular target people in older age category.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Medical University, Łódź, Poland. dkaleta@op.pl
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kaleta
authors.forename: Kinga
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Polańska
authors.forename: Elzbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dziankowska-Zaborszczyk
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hanke
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Drygas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012907:Smoking; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult