The relationship between self-rated health and objective health status: a population-based study

Self-rated health (SRH), a subjective assessment of health status, is extensively used in the public health field. However, whether SRH can reflect the objective health status is still debatable. We aim to reveal the relationship between SRH and objective health status in the general population.

We assessed the relationship between SRH and objective health status by examining the prevalence of diseases, laboratory parameters, and some health-related factors in different SRH groups. Data were collected from 18,000 residents randomly sampled from the general population in five cities of China (3,600 in each city). SRH was assessed by a single-item health measure with five options: "very good," "good," "fair," "bad," and "very bad." The differences in prevalence of diseases, laboratory parameters, and health-related factors between the "healthy" (very good plus good), "relatively healthy" (fair), and "unhealthy" (bad plus very bad) groups were examined. The odds ratios (ORs) referenced by the healthy group were calculated using logistic regression analysis.