http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8437-4493
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ABSTRACT
This study evaluates the validity of subjective health measurement for racial/ethnic comparisons in the United States, by assessing whether allostatic load (AL) is equally associated with poor/fair self-rated health (SRH) for different racial/ethnic groups. This study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) for 2006–2010. Multivariable logistic regression models were fit and stratified by race/ethnicity to study the association between AL and poor/fair SRH. Higher levels of AL were associated with higher odds of reporting poor/fair SRH. However, this association differs by race/ethnicity. Analysis of interactions and racial/ethnic-stratified models suggest that AL is less associated with poor/fair SRH status for non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics populations. These results demonstrate that subjective health ratings potentially underestimate actual measures of biological health risk, especially for racial/ethnic minorities. As a result, population-based assessments of racial/ethnic health disparities based on SRH may be significantly understated.
Acknowledgments
The publication of this article was supported by the Population Research Institute (PRI) at The Pennsylvania State University. PRI is supported by an infrastructure grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P2CHD041025). The content is solely the responsibility of the author and does not represent the official position of the National Institutes of Health. The author does not have any material, immaterial, or potential conflict of interests to disclose.
Conflict of Interest
The authors do not have any material, immaterial, financial, or potential conflict of interests to disclose. Publication of this article was supported by the Population Research Institute (PRI) at the Pennsylvania State University. PRI is supported by an infrastructure grant by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P2CHD041025). The content is solely the responsibility of the author and do not represent the official position of the National Institutes of Health.
Financial disclosures
No disclosures were reported by the author of this paper.