Self-rated health in old age : a follow-up study of changes and determinants

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine how older people rate their health with increase-ing age and how they assess change in their health over a 5-year follow-up period. Further, the aim was to study the individual-related factors underlying self-rated health, as well as to explore whether self-rated health takes the form of a continuum in relation to different indicators of health status, functional performance, and physical and social activity.This study was part of the Evergreen project and used data on the inhabitants of Jyväskylä, Finland, born in 1914. The baseline data were collected in 1989, the 5-year follow-up was conducted in 1994, and the 10-year follow-up in 1999. The data were collected by home interviews, questionnaires and examinations conducted in the study centre. The examinations in the study centre included a clinical examination and a wide range of tests of physical and cognitive performance and sensory capacity.