Determinants of Subjective Health, Happiness, and Life Satisfaction among Young Adults (18-24 Years) in Guyana

Abstract

Abstract. Persistent urban-rural disparity in subjective health and quality of life is a growing concern for healthcare systems across the world. In general, urban population performs better on most health indicators compared with their rural counterparts. However, research evidence on the urban-rural disparity on perceived health, happiness, and quality of life among the young adult population is scarce in South American countries like Guyana. Therefore, in the present study we aimed to investigate whether subjective health, happiness, and quality of life differ according to place of residence among the young adult population in Guyana. Methods. Cross-sectional data on 2,434 men and women aging between 15 and 24 years were collected from the most recent Guyana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey conducted in 2014. Outcome variables were perceived: satisfaction about health, life, and happiness, as well as life satisfaction before and after one year from the time of the survey. The urban-rural disparity in reporting satisfaction for these indicators was assessed by multivariate regression methods and by adjusting for relevant sociodemographic factors. Results. More than four-fifth of the respondents reported satisfaction with health (82.4%) and life (81.4%) and 77.9% reported being happy. A vast majority expressed improvement in life situation compared with a year ago (81.4%), and nearly all of the participants (95.4%) expect to have better life situation a year later. Multivariate analysis revealed an inverse association between rural residence and subjective health among men [OR = 0.518, 95%CI = 0.297, 0.901], and happiness [OR = 0.662, 95%CI = 0.381, 0.845] and life satisfaction [OR = 3.722, 95%CI = 1.502, 9.227] among women. Women having secondary [OR = 2.219, 95%CI = 1.209, 3.720] and higher [OR = 1.600, 95%CI = 1.041, 3.302] education also had higher odds of satisfaction with happiness. Conclusions. Our findings demonstrate the existence of significant urban–rural disparities in perceived health and quality of life among the young adult population in Guyana, especially among women. National health promotion projects should therefore take proper policy actions to address the underlying factors contributing to the urban–rural gaps in order to establish a more equitable healthcare system. Further researches are necessary to explore the underlying causes behind such disparities.

Determinants of life satisfaction among Ghanaians aged 15 to 49 years: A further analysis of the 2017/2018 Multiple Cluster Indicator Survey

“…Our study goes a step further by examining closely these factors from a gendered perspective; an examination that is virtually non-existent in Ghana. Due to the variations in social norms and biological characteristics, a gendered perspective has been recommended to provide more nuanced information into the associated factors of both men and women's life satisfaction [37][38][39]. The outcome of such attempt has been highlighted by Joshanloo [37] who concluded that sociopolitical, employment-related, and education-related variables were more important to men's life satisfaction whereas women's life satisfaction was associated with variables related to marital status and interpersonal relationships.…”

Concept analysis of perceived health from the perspective of rural adults in China

“…Generally, urban areas occupy more and higher quality material and social resources, therefore people living in urban areas usually enjoy better living standards and medical resources than their rural counterparts. It further explains why self‐rated health scores of urban residents tend to be higher than those of rural areas in terms of material social support (Chen et al., 2017; Wang et al., 2020).…”

Measuring well‐being in older adults: Identifying an appropriate single‐item questionnaire

“…However, previous studies point out that "subjective health" is a narrower concept than "happiness" and "life satisfaction". 31,32 Also, the scale of EQ-5D-5L used in the present study is strictly regarded as healthrelated QOL, which was developed to measure health outcomes to carry out economic analysis. 17 Considering the single-item life satisfaction and the single-item subjective health measure different aspects, we could suggest these two questionnaires are appropriate if there are two choices for a policy evaluation index.…”