Korean J Prev Med.  1999 Sep;32(3):355-360.

Self-Rating Perceived Health: The Influence on Health Care Utilization and Death Risk

• Kweon SS
• Kim SY
• Im JS
• Sohn SJ
• Choi JS

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This 3-year longitudinal study was conducted to evaluate the influence of self-rating health perception on health care utilization and all cause-death risk.
METHODS
The hypothesis was tested using a community-based samples, among which subjects 3,414 were interviewed in 1995. Self-rating health perception was assessed by single-item question. Three components of health care utilization amount(number of visits, number of medications, yearly health care expenses) per year were measured using medical insurance data during 3-year follow-up period among subjects in district health care insurance. There were 123 deaths from all causes among 3,085 subjects interviewed.
RESULTS
The results showed that those who had poor health perception revealed more increases in the amount of health care utilization than good health perception group (p<0.05). After adjusting for age and sex, the poor health perception group had higher death risk over 3 years than good health perception group(hazard ratio=1.88). but, after adjusting health care utility, supplementary, was not significant.
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that self-rating health percep-tion was associated with difference in health care utilization and all cause-death risk.

Keyword

Health perception; Death risk; Health care utilization; Longitudinal study

MeSH Terms

Delivery of Health Care*
Follow-Up Studies
Insurance
Longitudinal Studies