Self-reported health assessments in the 2002 World Health Survey: how do they correlate with education?
OBJECTIVE
To assess the value of self-rated health assessments by examining the association between education and self-rated poor health.


METHODS
We used the globally representative population-based sample from the 2002 World Health Survey, composed of 219,713 men and women aged 25 and over in 69 countries, to examine the association between education and self-rated poor health. In a binary regression model with a logit link function, we used self-rated poor health as the binary dependent variable, and age, sex and education as the independent variables.


RESULTS
Globally, there was an inverse association between years of schooling and self-rated poor health (odds ratio, OR: 0.929; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.926-0.933). Compared with the individuals in the highest quintile of years of schooling, those in the lowest quintile were twice as likely to report poor health (OR: 2.292; 95% CI: 2.165-2.426). We found a dose-response relationship between quintiles of years of schooling and the ORs for reporting poor health. This association was consistent among men and women; low-, middle- and high-income countries; and regions.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that self-reports of health may be useful for epidemiological investigations within countries, even in low-income settings.
Subramanian
S V
SV
Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, United States of America. svsubram@hsph.harvard.edu
Huijts
Tim
T
Avendano
Mauricio
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019049:Developed Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014944:World Health Organization