Factors associated with self-perceived health status in Portugal: Results from the National Health Survey 2014

Abstract

BackgroundSelf-perceived health is an important indicator of illness and mortality. This study aims at identifying a wide range of factors that can influence self-perceived health status among a representative sample in Portugal.MethodsWe used the 2014 National Health Survey (n = 17,057), whereby participants were required to assess their health status from “Very good,” “Good,” “Fair,” “Poor” to “Very poor.” We grouped the answers “Very good” and “Good,” and “Poor” and “Very poor,” respectively. Multinomial logistic regression was used to compare participants' characteristics across groups by computing odds ratio and corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Models included Socioeconomic/demographic characteristics, objective health status, healthcare use, functional disability, barriers to healthcare services utilization, lifestyle variables, mental health status, social support, and satisfaction with life as potential factors that can affect self-perceived health. Models were adjusted for sex, age, educational level, degree of urbanization, and presence of chronic diseases.ResultsAbout 45% of participants reported good/very good, 39% reported fair, while ~16% reported poor/very poor health perception. Poor/very poor health was more reported by women when compared to men (19.1 vs. 11.4%, respectively, p < 0.001). A higher prevalence of poor/very poor health status was reported by participants living in thinly populated areas or among older populations. Lower educational levels, lower income, as well as unemployment, were found to increase the risk of reporting poor/very poor health status. Utilizing healthcare services more frequently, experiencing barriers to access healthcare services, having depressive symptoms or activity limitations, or lacking social support were found to be significantly associated with poor/very poor self-perceived health.ConclusionSubjects living in Portugal tend to report less good/very good health status and more poor/very poor health when compared to the rest of Europe. This study stresses the importance of socioeconomic factors, chronic illness, barriers to access healthcare services, social isolation, and mental health status in influencing self-perceived health and highlights the urgent need for social-informed policies, strategies, and interventions to reduce health inequalities in Portugal.

Consumption of Tap Water and Sociodemographic-Associated Characteristics: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

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“…This allowed us to limit the endogeneity problem in analyzing unemployment and education as they relate to perceived health. By considering chronic illness as a control variable we may include in the analysis chronically-ill individuals who report having bad health [19,20,58,59].…”

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“…1 This contrast is notably conspicuous in the domain of self-rated health (SRH), 2 which often closely correlates with socioeconomic status and the possession of healthcare resources. 3,4 Income inequalities play a pivotal role in shaping variations in subjective health. 3,4 Individuals often correlate their economic status and sociocultural background with SRH, showing both the multidimensional nature of subjective health and the profound impact of socioeconomic disparities on population health.…”

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“…However, subjective health among different groups of the population have shown significant variation, particularly in the context of the ascension of income disparities with the increasing social prosperity 1 . This contrast is notably conspicuous in the domain of self‐rated health (SRH), 2 which often closely correlates with socioeconomic status and the possession of healthcare resources 3,4 …”