title: Question context and priming meaning of health: effect on differences in self-rated health between Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined the implications of the current recommended data collection practice of placing self-rated health (SRH) before specific health-related questions (hence, without a health context) to remove potential context effects, between Hispanics and non-Hispanics.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used 2 methodologically comparable surveys conducted in English and Spanish that asked SRH in different contexts: before and after specific health questions. Focusing on the elderly, we compared the influence of question contexts on SRH between Hispanics and non-Hispanics and between Spanish and English speakers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The question context influenced SRH reports of Spanish speakers (and Hispanics) significantly but not of English speakers (and non-Hispanics). Specifically, on SRH within a health context, Hispanics reported more positive health, decreasing the gap with non-Hispanic Whites by two thirds, and the measurement utility of SRH was improved through more consistent mortality prediction across ethnic and linguistic groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contrary to the current recommendation, asking SRH within a health context enhanced measurement utility. Studies using SRH may result in erroneous conclusions when one does not consider its question context.
authors.affiliation: Sunghee Lee is with the Institute for Social Research,University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Norbert Schwarz is with the Institute for Social Research and Department of Psychology, University of Michigan.
authors.forename: Sunghee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schwarz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends; D057566:Self Report; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*