The Association Between Women's Self-Rated Health and Satisfaction with Environmental Services in an Underserved Community in Lebanon

Abstract

This research evaluated the association between women's self-rated health and a number of socioeconomic and environmental health indicators relating to drinking water services in an underserved Lebanese community. A population-based, cross-sectional survey using interviews was adopted to obtain information from female homemakers of 2,223 households in the town of Bebnine, Lebanon. The questionnaire included indicators on self-rated health, satisfaction with water quality, source of drinking water, occurrence of diarrhea, and socioeconomic variables, such as education, occupation, and perceived economic status. Self-rated health was categorized as poor, fair, and good. Odds ratios for poor and fair compared to good self-rated health values were calculated using multinomial logistic regression. A total of 712 women (32%) reported poor self-rated health. Women who perceived their household income to be worse than others in town were four times as likely to report poor health. Compared to women who were satisfied with drinking water quality, dissatisfied women were 42% more likely to report poor health. Women living in households reporting recent episodes of diarrheal illness had poorer health ratings than those without. The findings suggest a positive relationship between individual perceptions of water quality and self-rated health. Community concerns over their surrounding environment serve as a primary guide for infrastructural development and government policy.

Keywords:

• self-rated health
• risk factors
• socioeconomic status
• environment

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the community of Bebnine and the participants in this study. The research project was funded by a grant from the International Development Research Center (IDRC Canada). The work in this manuscript was also supported by a grant from the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut.