Age Effects and Health Appraisal: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Objective. The purpose was to clarify the effects of methodological variables in the research on age differences in self-rated health and specifically the effects of: (a) the item type used to solicit the appraisal, (b) the approach to sampling, and (c) the criteria for assembling the age groups for study.Methods. Studies differing on these dimensions were compared using meta-analytic techniques. Seventeen usable samples were grouped according to the age comparisons-seven compared "young" and "old" samples while ten compared "young-old" and "old-old" groups. Results.The results failed to support the frequently reported health optimism of old-old samples when compared with young-old. Further, the findings suggest that the item type used in eliciting the rating of health may be instrumental in the respondent's appraisal process. For instance, use of the age-comparative item tends to favor "old" groups when compared to young, whereas the global health item has an effect in the other direction. Effect size was also related to a study's sampling procedure and to the method used in assembling groups (i.e., age ranges used to represent young and old).Discussion. Practical implications and areas of needed research are discussed.

Determinants of Mental Health and Self-Rated Health: A Model of Socioeconomic Status, Neighborhood Safety, and Physical Activity

“…61–65 Also as expected, older adults had worst SRH than did younger adults. 66,67 As with SRH, SES and physical activity had a positive effect on mental health. In line with previous work, older adults had better mental health than did younger adults.…”

Maternal Fair/Poor Self-Rated Health and Adverse Infant Birth Outcomes

“…This notion is supported by researchers who suggest that SRH tends to decline with age (Roberts, 1999) as health generally declines. Nevertheless, SRH is largely stable during middle adulthood (between 20 and 50 years) where adults report generally high levels of SRH (McCullough & Laurenceau, 2004), and the female sex seems to be especially protective against SRH decline (Verropoulou, 2012).…”

Self-rated health status as a predictor of death, functional and cognitive impairment: a longitudinal cohort study

“…Where global SRH and comparative SRH have been used in the same study global SRH was found to be a better predictor of mortality than an age-referential comparative SRH (Vuorisalmi et al 2005). A meta analysis suggests that comparative SRH shows higher optimism among those aged 75 or over than those aged 65-74 but when global SRH is used the trend is reversed (Roberts 1999), suggesting that both should be included in future studies of the older population. Further studies like those of Jylhä (1994) and Manderbacka (1998) using cognitive interviewing techniques (Willis 2005) are needed to explain further what survey respondents understand by questions and mean by their answers when responding to questions about SRH.…”