Citation

Baćak V, Ólafsdóttir S. Scand. J. Public Health 2017; 45(6): 647-653.

Affiliation

Department of Sociology, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Associations of Public Health in the Nordic Countries Regions, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1403494817717405

PMID

28673121

Abstract

AIMS: The aims of this study were to: (1) examine the concurrent validity of self-rated health for mental and physical health in Europe; and (2) evaluate whether self-rated health predicts health problems differentially by gender.

METHODS: Data are from 19 European countries surveyed in the 2014 European Social Survey. We applied ordinary least squares regression to examine the association between self-rated health and summary indicators of physical and mental health problems.

RESULTS: We observed an association between self-rated health and both physical and mental health problems in all countries. Gender differences in the concurrent validity of self-rated health were documented in eleven out of 19 countries.

CONCLUSIONS: Self-rated health is a valid and efficient measure of physical and mental health across the European continent, with significantly greater concurrent validity among women.

Language: en

Keywords

Europe; Self-rated health; concurrent validity; gender; measurement