title: Perceived discrimination and self-rated health in Canada: an exploratory study.
abstract: Our objective was to explore whether the link between discrimination and self-rated health status differed as a function of discrimination type, including discrimination based on ethnicity/culture, race, physical appearance (other than skin colour), religion, age, and disability.
  
  
  
  A sample of 19,422 men and women aged 15 and older was included in this study. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to measure the association between perceived discrimination types and self-reported health status defined as excellent/good versus fair/poor.
  
  
  
  The prevalence of experiencing any discrimination in the past five years was higher among those who rated their health as fair or poor (21.8 %) compared to those who rated their health as excellent or good (14.5 %, p < 0.0001). After controlling for all other covariates, there was a positive association between poorer self-rated health and two of the six specific discrimination variables entered into the model: perceived discrimination based on physical appearance (other than skin colour) (OR = 1.79, 95 % CI: 1.24, 2.58) and perceived discrimination based on a having a disability (OR = 1.59, 95 % CI: 1.04, 2.41).
  
  
  
  Our main findings indicate that perceived discrimination based on physical appearance and disability may have an adverse impact on health. The results highlight the need for a comprehensive approach to improving health outcomes that should include policies that are targeted against specific types of discrimination.
authors: Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, 76 Grenville Street, 6th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5S 1B2, Canada. janice.dumont@wchospital.ca.|Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. janice.dumont@wchospital.ca.
authors: Janice
authors: J
authors: Du Mont
authors: Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, 76 Grenville Street, 6th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5S 1B2, Canada.
authors: Tonia
authors: T
authors: Forte
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D011287:Prejudice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057566:Self Report; D063508:Social Discrimination / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Intimate partner violence; Perceived discrimination; Prevalence; Self-rated health