High Health Status - Women

High Health Status - Women in United States

United States

Self-reported health status is a measure of how individuals perceive their own health. It is a subjective measure of health-related quality of life that is not limited to specific health conditions or outcomes, but also factors in social support, ability and ease of functioning, and other socioeconomic, environmental and cultural components. This measure is used by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate large-scale progress toward achieving Healthy People 2030 objectives. 

Research shows that those with “poor” self-reported health status have mortality risk double that of those with ”excellent” self-reported health status. The association between health status and mortality makes this measure a good predictor of future mortality rates.

According to America’s Health Rankings data, the prevalence of women ages 18-44 who report “very good” or “excellent“ health is higher among:

• Those ages 18-24 compared with those ages 25-44.
• Non-Hispanic white and Asian women compared with Black, Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native women.
• Those with higher levels of education and income compared with those with lower levels of education and income.
• Women living in metropolitan areas compared with those in non-metropolitan areas.

More years of schooling are associated with better self-reported health status. This may be due in part to the fact that those with higher education have fewer chronic conditions. Economic resources and jobs with healthier working conditions and benefits are also associated with better health status.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends implementing high-quality, center-based early childhood education programs in order to improve health. These programs can improve health, promote health equity and narrow the educational achievement gap, especially for children in low-income or racial and ethnic minority communities. 

Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes are leading causes of death in the U.S., affecting 6 in 10 Americans. Many chronic diseases can be prevented by eating well, being physically active, avoiding tobacco and excessive drinking and getting regular health screenings. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has a webpage on strategies for healthy living that covers nutrition, physical activity, mental health and sexual health.

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Borgonovi, Francesca, and Artur Pokropek. 2016. “Education and Self-Reported Health: Evidence from 23 Countries on the Role of Years of Schooling, Cognitive Skills and Social Capital.” Edited by Joshua L. Rosenbloom. PLOS ONE 11 (2): e0149716. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0149716.

Cialani, Catia, and Reza Mortazavi. 2020. “The Effect of Objective Income and Perceived Economic Resources on Self-Rated Health.” International Journal for Equity in Health 19 (1): 196. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-020-01304-2.

DeSalvo, Karen B., Nicole Bloser, Kristi Reynolds, Jiang He, and Paul Muntner. 2006. “Mortality Prediction with a Single General Self-Rated Health Question.” Journal of General Internal Medicine 21 (3): 267. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2005.00291.x.

Lorem, Geir, Sarah Cook, David A. Leon, Nina Emaus, and Henrik Schirmer. 2020. “Self-Reported Health as a Predictor of Mortality: A Cohort Study of Its Relation to Other Health Measurements and Observation Time.” Scientific Reports 10 (December): 4886. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61603-0.

Lundborg, Petter. 2012. “The Health Returns to Schooling—What Can We Learn from Twins?” Journal of Population Economics 26 (2): 673–701. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-012-0429-5.

Ramon, Ismaila, Sajal K. Chattopadhyay, W. Steven Barnett, Robert A. Hahn, and The Community Preventive Services Task Force. 2018. “Early Childhood Education to Promote Health Equity: A Community Guide Economic Review.” Journal of Public Health Management and Practice 24 (1). https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000000557.