title: Are there educational differences in the association between self-rated health and mortality in Norway? The HUNT Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to test whether the association between self-rated health and mortality differs between educational groups in Norway, and to examine whether health problems and health-related behaviour can explain any of these differences within a previously unexplored contextual setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study used data from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study 84-86 (HUNT) with a 20-year follow up. The analyses were performed for respondents between 25-101 years at baseline (n = 56,788). The association between self-rated health and mortality was tested using Cox regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicate that although self-rated health is associated with mortality there is no difference in the association between self-rated health and mortality between educational groups. Introducing health-related variables did not have an impact on the result.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given the small educational differences in the association between self-rated health and mortality, this supports the reliability of self-reported health as a measurement for objective health.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian University Science and Technology, NTNU Dragvoll, Institutt for sosiologi og statsvitenskap, Trondheim, Norway. joakim.dalen@samfunn.ntnu.no
authors.forename: Joakim D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Dalen
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huijts
authors.forename: Steinar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krokstad
authors.forename: Terje A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Eikemo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models