Gender Differences in Determinants of Self-Rated Health Among African American in Omaha Nebraska: A Church-Based Study

Abstract

This study assessed the gender differences in determinants of fair/poor self-rated health among African American churchgoers in Omaha, Nebraska. Using data collected from 353 African American (245 women and 108 men) by the Center for Reducing Health Disparities at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2017, univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to examine the gender differences in the relationships between fair/poor self-rated health and potential health determinants. Overall, 14.3% of women and 17.6% of men reported fair/poor self-rated health. There was a significant association between depression and poor/fair self-rated health among women (p = 0.044) and men (p = 0.001). For women, the fully controlled model confirmed the crude association between perceived poor/fair self-rated health and heart disease (OR = 3.10) and education (OR = 2.19). For men, the final model identified significant determinants of perceived fair/poor self-rated health such as depression (OR = 12.51) and diabetes (OR = 3.89). When assessing gender differences in determinants of self-rated health, similarities are higher than differences between the two groups. In both groups, the presence of depression was the strongest determinant of poor health. Future research should assess the immunological aspects of the association between psychological factors and perceived chronic diseases.

Keywords:

• African American
• churchgoers
• depression
• gender
• self-rated health

Acknowledgments

We thank the participating churches and participants of the study who shared their thoughts and the Center for Reducing Health Disparities staff for their help and contribution to the project. The authors would like to thank Dr. Mohammed Siahpush, Associate Dean for Research, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health, for his constant support throughout the writing of this paper.