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Aims: Japan is known as a country with low self-rated health despite high life expectancy. We compared socioeconomic inequalities in self-rated health in Japan with those in 32 European countries and the US using nationally representative samples. Methods: We analysed individual data from the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (Japan), the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (US) in 2016. We used ordered logistic regression models with four ordinal categories of self-rated health as an outcome, and educational level or occupational class as independent variables, controlling for age. Results: In Japan, about half the population perceived their health as 'fair', which was much higher than in Europe (≈20–40%). The odds ratios of lower self-rated health among less educated men compared with more educated were 1.72 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.61–1.85) in Japan, and ranged from 1.67 to 4.74 in Europe (pooled; 2.10 (95% CI 2.01–2.20)), and 6.65 (95% CI 6.22–7.12) in the US. The odds ratios of lower self-rated health among less educated women were 1.79 (95% CI 1.65–1.95) in Japan, and ranged from 1.89 to 5.30 in Europe (pooled; 2.43 (95% CI 2.33–2.54)), and 8.82 (95% CI 8.29–9.38) in the US. Socioeconomic inequalities were large when self-rated health was low for European countries, but Japan and the US did not follow the pattern. Conclusions: Japan has similar socioeconomic gradient patterns to European countries for self-rated health, and our findings revealed smaller socioeconomic inequalities in self-rated health in Japan compared with those in western countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown that the Swedish speaking minority in Finland has slightly but significantly better health compared with the Finnish speaking majority. However, a clear explanation for this is lacking.The aim of the study was to explore differences of perceived health comparing three groups: Swedish speakers with reported dominance of Swedish also in the preceding generation; contemporary Finnish speakers with reported dominance of Finnish in the preceding generation and a group with a reported mixed-language structure of Finnish and Swedish between generations.Health and Social Support is an on-going population-based survey initiated in 1998 (N = 64,797), aimed at working-age adults. The present study is based on the 2012 follow-up survey, which included a question on the dominating language (Swedish or Finnish) of the respondents and their parents. The outcome was perceived health, which in this study was dichotomized to very good/good and intermediate/poor/very poor. The statistical analysis was carried with logistic regression, using SAS software. Age, gender and occupational training were included as covariates in the multivariable analysis.This study found that the Swedish-speaking group in Finland report better perceived health compared with the Finnish-speaking group (odds ratio 1.28, 95% confidence interval 1.04–1.57, p < 0.001). The health of the mixed language-speaking group fell between the other two groups. The results gave some support to a culturally mediated mechanism for the health advantage of Swedish speakers. Cultural features of Swedish-speaking groups in Finland may also support health promotion of the Finnish-speaking majority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perceived health is a subjective measure of an individual’s health based on self-reported, and self-knowledge about one’s health status. It is related to one’s functional status, morbidity, and mortality and serves as an important indicator in determining an individual’s health status and health-related quality of life. The main purpose of this study is to explore (i) how a sample of adult inmates perceived their health and (ii) identify factors that may be associated with their perceived health. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, where data collection involved the use of a structured questionnaire. The study sites were six prisons. A total of 144 inmates, 13 women (14%) and 131 men (91%) took part in the study. Results: The odds of having perceived good health were reduced by increasing age of the inmate (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.90–0.98) and increased by high level of education (OR = 4.11, 95% CI = 1.09–15.50) and long time spent in prison (OR = 3.56, 95% CI = 1.09–15.50), adjusting for ethnicity and a previous history of murder/manslaughter (p > .02). In the same adjusted analysis, the odds of perceived good health were decreased with medium high and high depressive score (OR = 0.06, 95% CI = 0.02–0.17 and OR = 0.06, 95% CI = 0.00–0.48, respectively). Conclusions: Psychological distress, time spent in prison, level of education and age were independent predictors of perceived health. High levels of psychological distress predict poor perceived health. Low level of education predict poor perceived health, while time spent in prison and age predict good perceived health. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aim: To examine perceived health of elderly medically hospitalized patients 1 year after hospitalization, and to explore factors associated with the perceived health at follow-up. Methods: A one-year follow-up study included 363 (175 men) elderly previously medical inpatients with age range 65–98 (mean 80.2, SD 7.5) years. Information was collected at baseline and follow-up, where perceived health – the dependent variable – was measured by one self-report item. The independent variables were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Lawton and Brody’s scales for physical self-maintenance and performance of the instrumental activities of daily living (PSMS and I-ADL). Results: The proportion of elderly people assessing their health as good at baseline was 43.3% (n = 157) and at 12 months 41.3% (n = 150). Of those with poor health at baseline, 34% (n = 70) experienced good health at 12 months. In the analysis controlling for physical health, perceived health, physical and instrumental functioning, and depression at baseline, an increase in the level of physical and instrumental functioning and reduced symptom level of depression were independently associated with good perceived health at 12 months. Conclusions: Improvement in performing the activities of daily living and a reduction of depressive symptoms are important factors for the perception of health one year after hospitalization. The rehabilitation of medically ill elderly patients could be the means of achieving this improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Poor perceived health during childhood may affect an individual's well-being throughout life. In adult studies, sense of coherence (SOC) has been shown to be associated with perceived health. Aims: The aim of this study was to determine which factors with an emphasis on SOC and physical exercise were associated with perceived health among 12-year-old children. Methods: A total of 1,231 12-year-old school children (83%) completed a questionnaire. Most of the 37 questions had multiple-choice types of response. The questions were largely based on those used in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study coordinated by the WHO. SOC was determined using the 13-item scale developed by Antonovsky. Factors used in calculating performance at school were marks (given by the teachers, range 4-10, 10 being the best) in mathematics, native language, and first foreign language. Statistical analysis involved the use of logistic regression models and the so-called generalized estimation technique because of the multi-level study design. Results: In a multivariate model adjusted for reported psychosomatic symptoms, insufficient physical exercise was clearly (OR 4.6) associated with poor perceived health. Other variables with significant associations (OR 1.4-1.7) were a mark below 9 in mathematics, belonging to the weakest SOC tertile, reporting of problems of perceived support from teachers, and reporting of various problems involving the class climate. Conclusions: Among the studied variables physical exercise was the most strongly associated with perceived health, even when several social and psychological risk factors were included in the analysis. SOC and variables of social support were also of importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on subjective health of personnel in human services and other occupations. A mail questionnaire was sent to 8296 employees in the Social Insurance Organization (SIO) and the Individual and Family Care (IFC) in social welfare agencies. The response rate was 69.1% or 5730 persons. Perceived health was measured by a standard form widely used in occupational health services, FHV004D, here split into four principal components, indicating psycho-vegetative, musculo-sceletal, immunological, and gastro-intestinal health. In relation to reference data on other human service personnel (nurses, teachers) and white collar workers (bank and insurance personnel), the studied groups scored much higher on psycho-vegetative symptoms (OR:s about 3), higher on musculo-sceletal symptoms (OR:s about 1.7), but had equal scores on the other symptom types. It is concluded that self-reported psychove-getative and musculosceletal health is especially problematic in SIO and IFC, indicating stress in human service work. It is hypothesized that an adversary relation to clients can be an aggravating factor in that context. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The primary aim of the study was to analyse similarities and differences between repeated spells of short-term sick-leave (more than 3 spells of less than 7 days' duration in a 12-month period) and long-term absence through sickness (at least 1 spell of more than 59 days' duration in a 12-month period) in relation to variables representing certain social circumstances and aspects of the work situation. Particular attention was paid to gender differences. The study, which had a cross-sectional design, employed data from the surveys of living conditions (ULF) conducted by Statistics Sweden over the period 1986-89. The study group comprised 13,828 employed persons between the ages of 16 and 65. The results suggested the existence of a common mechanism by which a variety of factors are related to the taking of both repeated short spells and long-term sick-leave; gender differences with regard to the effect of working conditions on the taking of sick-leave may be incorrectly estimated if factors related to occupational structure are not taken into consideration; a less than additive effect of physical job demands and repeated short spells of sick-leave on subjective health was found. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]