Self-assessed disability and self-rated health among rural villagers in Peru: a brief report.
BACKGROUND
Risks for poor self-rated overall health in rural areas of developing nations have not been thoroughly investigated.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to assess potential risk factors for poor self-rated health among rural villagers in Peru.


METHODS
A door-to-door survey of villagers residing in the Pampas Grande region in Peru, which is in the Andes Mountains, yielded complete data for 337 adults.


RESULTS
Adjusting for age and gender using multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that having self-reported disabilities was inversely and independently related to good self-rated health (OR 0.48 [95% CI, 0.26-0.88]). Joint pain also was related to self-rated health (OR 0.23 [95% CI, 0.13-0.41]).


CONCLUSIONS
Increasing access to affordable, effective analgesics may reduce this disparity. Health agencies should consider these actions as possible planning priorities for the region.
Rohrer
James E
JE
Department of Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic-Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA. rohrer.james@mayo.edu
Merry
Stephen P
SP
Thacher
Thomas D
TD
Summers
Matthew R
MR
Alpern
Jonathan D
JD
Contino
Robert W
RW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003906:Developing Countries; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010568:Peru; D012307:Risk Factors; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012647:Self-Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult