[Morbidity and self-perception of health, two different approaches to health status]

Abstract

Objective: To determine the degree of association between perceived health status and that obtained from information on attended morbidity.

Method: The population of four health areas of the Baix Empordà region (Catalonia, Spain) (N=91,067) was studied in 2016, by means of a sample of 1202 individuals. A health survey was conducted on sample individuals. At the same time, the respondents were classified by health status through the Clinical Risk Groups system. The degree of association was analysed by logistic regression.

Results: 27% of patients with more than two major chronic diseases or with complex health conditions stated they were in good health. An association was detected between health perception and disease burden. Sex, work situation, social class and especially age also showed association with the perception of health.

Conclusions: The inference of health status from clinical records on attended morbidity approximates to the subjective perception of health and vice versa. However, certain sociodemographic factors modulate individual perception. The results obtained are encouraging in relation to the development of new methodologies for calculating quality of life indicators.

Keywords: Calidad de vida; Carga global de enfermedades; Estado de salud; Global burden of disease; Health status; Morbidity; Morbilidad; Quality of life.