title: Self-Rated Health, Interviewer-Rated Health, and Their Predictive Powers on Mortality in Old Age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examines the potential use of interviewer-rated health (IRH) as a complementary measure of self-rated health (SRH) through a systematic comparison of their components and mortality-predictive powers in the Chinese elderly population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used a nationwide dataset with more than 12,000 adults aged 65 or older drawn from the 2005 and 2008 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey (CLHLS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Disability, cognitive function, chronic disease conditions, psychological well-being, and health behaviors influenced both the SRH and IRH of Chinese older adults; these factors, especially disabilities, explained a large portion of the association between SRH and mortality. However, the impact of these factors on the association between IRH and mortality was limited. Furthermore, when both SRH and IRH were included in the analytical models, the association between SRH and mortality disappeared, while the association between IRH and mortality still persisted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although there is some difference between IRH and SRH, IRH captures similar health information as SRH and is strongly predictive of mortality independent of SRH; thus, IRH could be a good supplementary measurement for well-adopted SRH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Qiushi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg.
authors.forename: Haiyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Zhihong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.affiliation: United Nations Population Division, New York, New York. :gudanan@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Danan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gu
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002681:China; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000401:mortality* / Q000523:psychology*; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009026:Mortality; D016019:Survival Analysis
keywords: China; Interviewer-rated health; Mortality; Older adults; Self-rated health