Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, Vol 54, Issue 10 M501-M506, Copyright © 1999 by The Gerontological Society of America

JOURNAL ARTICLE

The contribution of chronic conditions and disabilities to poor self- rated health in elderly men

N Hoeymans, EJ Feskens, D Kromhout and GA van den Bos
Department of Chronic Disease and Environmental Epidemiology, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands. Nancy.Hoeymans@rivm.nl

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to investigate the contribution of chronic conditions and disabilities to poor self-rated health from the perspectives of the patient and the population: (a) What is the impact of seven somatic chronic conditions on self-rated health, independent of disabilities? and (b) To what extent can poor self-rated health be attributed to the selected chronic conditions and disabilities? METHODS: Data came from the 1990 (n = 509), 1993 (n = 381), and 1995 (n = 340) surveys of the Zutphen Elderly Study. Odds ratios (OR) and population attributable risks (PAR) were calculated to quantify the contribution of chronic conditions and disabilities to poor self-rated health. RESULTS: From the patient perspective, stroke was most strongly associated with poor self-rated health (OR = 3.5, 95% confidence interval: 1.8-6.9). From the population perspective, 63% of poor self- rated health could be attributed to the selected chronic conditions, with respiratory symptoms (28%), musculoskeletal complaints (24%), and coronary heart disease (13%) making the largest contribution. A total of 73% could be attributed to chronic conditions and disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: In this population of elderly men, stroke resulted in the largest losses in self-rated health in individual patients, whereas the largest contributions to poor self-rated health in the population were made by respiratory symptoms and musculoskeletal complaints.

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