%0 Journal Article
%T Self-rated health of population in southern China: association with socio-demographic characteristics measured with multiple-item self-rated health measurement scale
%A Jun Xu
%A Jinhua Zhang
%A Liyi Feng
%A Jincai Qiu
%J BMC Public Health
%D 2010
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2458-10-393
%X A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a total of 8400 community residents of 14 years old and over in Southern China. SRH status was measured using SRHMS with a stratified sampling approach, and compared between different subgroups with t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).Totally 8400 subjects were recruited in this study and 80.96% (6801) responded to the survey. The mean score for SRHMS dimensions ranged from 66.16 ¡À 20.65 (mean ¡À sd) for positive emotion (M2) to 92.14 ¡À 14.06 for daily physical activities (B2). Results showed that SRHMS scores for women, elderly men, low education level, low income, divorced, separated or widowed and suburban residents in Southern China were significantly lower than other subgroups (P < 0.05).In this study, using SRHMS we assessed the association of SRH with socio-demographic characteristics including sex, age, marital status, education, and income in Southern China. The performance of the questionnaire in the large scale survey is satisfactory and provides a large picture of SRH status in Southern China. Our results indicate that women, elderly men, low education level, low income, divorced, separated or widowed and suburban residents in Southern China suffer from relatively poor SRH status.Based on the World Health Organization (WHO) definition, health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity[1]. This definition has not been amended since 1948. Over the past decades, the Chinese have enjoyed a rapidly declining mortality rates and a long life expectancy at all ages[2,3]. Today the primary focus of medical care has shifted from infections diseases to chronic diseases[4,5]. However, over the past few years, we have observed an increase in health service attendance due to unspecific somatization condition and chronic diseases. People in China no longer consent to the absence of diseases and dysfunction. They are pursuing more comfortable life a
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/10/393