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Purpose: Understanding self‐rated health in young people can help orient global health actions, especially in regions of social vulnerability. The present study analysed individual and contextual factors associated with self‐rated health in a sample of Brazilian adolescents. Design and Methods: Cross‐sectional data from 1272 adolescents (aged 11–17; 48.5% of girls) in low human development index (HDI) neighbourhoods were analysed (HDI from 0.170 to 0.491). The outcome variable was self‐rated health. Independent variables relating to individual factors (biological sex, age and economic class) and lifestyle (physical activity, alcohol, tobacco consumption and nutritional state) were measured using standardised instruments. The socio‐environmental variables were measured using neighbourhood registered data where the adolescents studied. Multilevel regression was used to estimate the regression coefficients and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Good self‐rated health prevalence was of 72.2%. Being male (B: −0.165; CI: −0.250 to −0.081), age (B: −0.040; CI: −0.073 to −0.007), weekly duration of moderate to vigorous physical activity (B: 0.074; CI: 0.048–0.099), body mass index (B: −0.025; CI: −0.036 to −0.015), number of family healthcare teams in the neighbourhood (B: 0.019; CI: 0.006–0.033) and dengue incidence (B: −0.001; CI: −0.002; −0.000) were factors associated with self‐rated health among students from vulnerable areas. Conclusions/Practical Implications: Approximately three in every 10 adolescents in areas of social vulnerability presented poor self‐rated health. This fact was associated with biological sex and age (individual factors), physical activity levels and BMI (lifestyle) and the number of family healthcare teams in the neighbourhood (contextual). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The regulation of working hours is governed by legal standards in formal employment. While the association between long working hours and various health outcomes has been extensively studied, there is limited evidence regarding Brazil. The objective of this study was to investigate the association among working hours, employment status, and self-rated health (SRH), taking into account differences between men and women in a national representative sample of the working population in Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a representative sample of 33,713 workers in Brazil to assess self-rated health (SRH). We examined the associations between working hours and employment status, categorizing working hours as standard (40–44 h per week) or long (> 44 h per week), and employment status as formal or informal. Logistic regression models were employed, adjusting for sociodemographic, occupational characteristics, and health behaviors. Probabilities of negative SRH were calculated for men and women in different exposure profiles. Results were stratified by gender, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were applied to the findings. Results: The prevalence of long working hours was higher among informal workers for both men and women. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) results revealed that informal employment (AORwomen = 1.53; 95% CI: 1.13–2.07 and AORmen = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.22–1.96) and long working hours (AORwomen = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.06–1.43 and AORmen = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.00-1.30) were independently associated with negative SRH. Significant interactions between long working hours and informal employment were observed. Among individuals with the same exposure profile, women who engaged in long working hours had a higher probability of reporting negative SRH compared to men. Conclusions: The results of this study are in line with the literature, as differences between men and women in the likelihood of negative self-rated health were observed. The adverse health effects underscore the importance of implementing intersectoral actions to inform the revision of regulations concerning weekly working hours and the expansion of informal employment in low- and middle-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ciência & Saúde Coletiva is the property of Associacao Brasileira de Pos-Graduacao em Saude Coletiva and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Racial health inequities may be partially explained by area-level factors such as residential segregation. In this cross-sectional study, using a large, multiracial, representative sample of Brazilian adults (n  = 37,009 individuals in the 27 state capitals; National Health Survey (Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde), 2013), we investigated 1) whether individual-level self-rated health (SRH) (fair or poor vs. good or better) varies by race (self-declared White, Brown, or Black) and 2) whether city-level economic or racial residential segregation (using dissimilarity index values in tertiles: low, medium, and high) interacts with race, increasing racial inequities in SRH. Prevalence of fair or poor SRH was 31.5% (Black, Brown, and White people: 36.4%, 34.0%, and 27.3%, respectively). Marginal standardization based on multilevel logistic regression models, adjusted for age, gender, and education, showed that Black and Brown people had, respectively, 20% and 10% higher prevalence of fair or poor SRH than did White people. Furthermore, residential segregation interacted with race such that the more segregated a city, the greater the racial gap among Black, Brown, and White people in fair or poor SRH for both income and race segregation. Policies to reduce racial inequities may need to address residential segregation and its consequences for health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self-rated health (SRH) - one of the most common health indicators used to verify health conditions - can be influenced by several types of socioeconomic conditions, thereby reflecting health inequalities. This study aimed to evaluate the participant profiles regarding the association between self-rated health and social and occupational characteristics of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).Methods: Cross-sectional design, including 11,305 individuals. Self-rated health was categorized as good, fair, and poor. The relationship between socio-demographic, psychosocial work environment, health-related variables, and self-rated health was analyzed by multiple correspondence analysis (stratified by age: up to 49 years old and 50 years old or more).Results: For both age strata, group composition was influenced by socioeconomic conditions. Poor SRH was related to lower socioeconomic conditions, being women, black self-declared race/ethnicity, being non-married/non-united, low decision authority, low skill discretion, and obesity.Conclusion: To promote health, interventions should focus on reducing existing socioeconomic, race, and gender inequalities in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Ciência & Saúde Coletiva is the property of Associacao Brasileira de Pos-Graduacao em Saude Coletiva and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Antidepressants are one of the fastest growing classes of prescription drugs in the world and their effects on users' quality of life are still controversial. The aim of the study was verify the relationship between antidepressant use and self-rated health in a population aged 40 years or older. This was a population-based longitudinal study with adults of 40 years or older in a medium-sized municipality in Brazil with data collection in 2011 and 2015. The dependent variable was self-rated health (2015) and the independent the use of antidepressant medications, categorized as "used only in 2011", "used only in 2015", "used in 2011 and 2015" and "not used". The Poisson regression with robust variance was used to verify the association between antidepressant use and self-rated health. The study included 885 people. Negative self-rated health was present in 44% of the study population. The prevalence of antidepressant use was 17.6% over 4 years. The use of antidepressants was associated with negative self-rated health for individuals who were only using 2015 in the general population (PR 1.082; 95% CI 1.004-1.166). There was no relationship between antidepressant use and self-rated health, except for those who used antidepressants only in 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate whether having a higher number of depressive symptoms is associated with negative self-rated health (SRH) even in the absence of illness., Methods: This is a secondary analysis of baseline data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), conducted in 2015-2016, using a national sample of 9,412 people aged 50 or over. SRH was dichotomized into poor or very poor and very good or excellent, good, or average. Depressive symptoms were assessed through the eight-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D8). Sociodemographic variables, information about unhealthy behaviors, and the number of chronic conditions were also analyzed., Results: Having depressive symptoms was strongly associated with poor or very poor SRH both in the unadjusted and adjusted analyses. The magnitude of the association was reduced when the number of chronic illnesses was included in the multivariate analysis, along with the other sociodemographic variables and unhealthy behaviors (OR 1.35, 95%CI 1.31-1.39)., Conclusion: Having depressive symptoms may contribute towards having a poorer perception of health, even in the absence of health conditions. SRH is a multidimensional construct that can accurately reflect a person's state of general mental health., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

This study aimed to verify the prevalence and factors associated with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) among adolescents. In all, 1.132 people participated. They were aged between 14 and 19 years, of both sexes and they came from a city in southern Brazil. Many socio-demographic variables were collected (sex, age group, socioeconomic status, period of study, year of school and work), also variables related to their health (level of physical activity, alcohol intake, smoking, misuse of medicines, stress control, duration of sleep, sedentary behavior and self-rated health) and EDS, through the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS). The prevalence of EDS in general sample was 54.2% and average score in PDSS was 16.0 (5.7). Comparing results between both sexes, female sex presents the higher prevalence of EDS (64.3%) and greatest average PDSS score 17.5 (5.4) compared to male sex (35.7%) with 14.5 (5.6%) score (p <.001). In analysis of the prevalence ratio, using 15 as an EDS cut-off point, prevalence was 35% higher in the female sex (PR = 1.35 CI 95% 1.08–1.69, p =.010). In addition, adolescents which had lower self-rated health (PR = 1.24 CI 95% 1.01–1.52, p =.038), low stress control (PR = 1.28 CI 95% 1.05–1.57, p =.014) and short sleep duration (PR = 1.30 CI 95% 1.02–1.65, p =.029), presented higher prevalence of EDS. High prevalence of EDS was identified, being more common in young women. Adequate sleep, greater stress control and better health perception should be promoted among Brazilian adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debate over urban-rural health disparities in Latin American countries is disputed, and this relationship may not be as straightforward as initially thought. In this study, we investigate whether individual-level self-rated health (SRH) varies across urban and rural populations in the country and how sociodemographic attributes are associated with such differences. We relied on data from the Brazilian National Health Survey (n = 78,806), a nationwide household-based survey conducted in 2019 that is representative of Brazil, geopolitical macro-regions, states, and 27 state capitals. Logistic regression models were used to test for differences in SRH between urban and rural inhabitants. The findings suggest that Brazilian adults living in rural areas are at a higher risk of perceiving their health as poor than their urban counterparts. The urban-rural health disparities are significant and influenced by sociodemographic attributes, highlighting the importance of developing public health interventions to improve health outcomes in these populations. • Rural Brazilian adults have a higher risk of perceiving their health as poor compared to urban counterparts. • Sociodemographic factors significantly shape the urban-rural health gap. • Chronic illnesses are associated with higher risk of poor SRH in rural residents than in urban residents. • The study calls for public health interventions to improve health outcomes in rural populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: To determine whether subjective oral symptoms were associated with self‐rated oral health after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and dentition status in 4 different Indigenous peoples from Central‐West Brazil. Methods: A population‐based cross‐sectional study of oral health was conducted between 2012 and 2014. The randomly selected sample was stratified according to 4 ethnic groups (Kaiwoá, Kadiwéu, Terena and Guarani) and 2 age groups (15‐19 and 35‐44 years). The outcome was poor self‐rated oral health. Independent variables obtained by interviews were age, sex, ethnicity, schooling, family income, self‐reported toothache, difficulty chewing and difficulty speaking due to dental problems. Dentition status, oral morbidity and normative treatment needs were obtained through oral examinations. Unadjusted and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using Poisson regression modelling with robust variance estimation. Results: Poor self‐rated oral health was more common in the older age group and in Guarani peoples than their counterparts (PR = 1.06 [1.00‐1.12]; PR = 1.09 [1.02‐1.16], respectively). After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, fewer functional teeth (PR = 1.11 [1.02‐1.20]), 2 or more untreated decayed teeth (PR = 1.15 [1.07‐1.23]), normative need for extraction (PR = 1.15 [1.05‐1.25]) and normative need for restoration of one or more surfaces (PR = 1.16 [1.05‐1.27]) were positively associated with self‐rated oral health. Toothache and difficulty speaking remained positively associated with the outcome after controlling for all previous variables (PR = 1.10 [1.05‐1.18]; PR = 1.20 [1.09‐1.32]). Conclusions: Oral symptoms such as toothache and difficulty speaking due to dental problems play an important role in oral health self‐rating. Self‐rated oral health is an appropriate indicator for use in diverse sociocultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our hypothesis is that neighborhood infrastructure modifies the association between state-level income distribution and self-rated health. In our findings neighborhood infrastructure amplifies the association between income equality and self-rated health, yet with a differential impact on health according to sex, race and education level favoring individuals at higher socioeconomic positions. Most of the individual health variation attributed to context happens at neighborhood level, based on random effects analyses. Our findings contribute to a further understanding of health inequalities in Brazil. The demonstrated synergism between state, neighborhood and individual level determinants of health supports inter-sectoral policies and interventions in a clearly multileveled way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self-rated health (SRH) is the general perception of an individual's own health and a key indicator to measure health in population-based studies. Few studies have examined the association between perceived urban violence and SRH among young adults. There were an estimated 475,000 deaths in 2012 as a result of homicide on the world. Sixty percent of these deaths occurred among males aged 15-44 years, making homicide the third leading cause of death for this population group. This study aimed to determine and quantify the association between sex-specific perception of violence in the neighborhood and SRH among young adults.Methods: Participants included 955 young adults (18-29 years) residing in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil between 2008 and 2009. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the strength of the associations. The perceived urban violence score was constructed from variables that assessed the respondents' insecurity and perception of fear and danger of suffering some form of violence in the neighborhood using exploratory factor analysis.Results: 18,3% of respondents rated their health as fair/ poor/very poor. Among women, fair/ poor/very poor SRH was associated with age between 25 and 29 years, low socioeconomic status score, being dissatisfied with weight, not exercising regularly, not having a healthy diet, and having some chronic disease. Men who rated their health as fair/poor/very poor more frequently smoked, were dissatisfied with their weight, did not exercise regularly, consumed fewer fruits and vegetables, and had some chronic disease compared to men who rated their health as very good/good. In the final model, after adjusting for confounding variables, perceived violence in the neighborhood was associated with poor SRH in young women only (OR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.04-2.21).Conclusion: The results indicate that public and health policies should implement interventions on the neighborhood physical and social environment to improve the perception of safety and have a positive impact on people's health, especially women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-rated health (SRH) is associated with morbidity and mortality in HIV-uninfected populations but is understudied in HIV. Substance use may affect SRH in addition to its deleterious effect on HIV disease. This analysis aimed to estimate SRH and substance use prevalence and evaluate factors associated with poor SRH among individuals in HIV care in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A convenience sample of HIV-infected adults completed one item of SRH, the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). Logistic regression models identified factors associated with poor SRH. Participants' (n = 1029) median age was 42.9 years, 64.2% were male, and 54.5% were nonwhite. Poor SRH was reported by 19.5% and the use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and crack/cocaine by 30.1, 19.5, 3.9, and 3.5%, respectively. Less than high school education (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-2.20), lack of sexual activity in previous 12 months (aOR 1.53, 95% CI: 1.01-2.30), crack/cocaine use (aOR 3.82, 95% CI: 1.80-8.09), positive PHQ-2 screen (aOR 3.43, 95% CI: 2.09-5.62), and HIV-1 RNA ≥40 c/ml (aOR 2.51, 95% CI: 1.57-4.02) were significantly associated with poor SRH as identified by logistic regression analyses. Alcohol, marijuana, and sedative use were not significantly associated with poor SRH. These results emphasize the need for substance use and mental health screening and treatment in this population. Further research may elucidate the consequences of poor SRH on treatment adherence, morbidity, and mortality in HIV-infected individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic diseases, signals and symptoms of health problems and objective losses in functionality are seen as strongly related to low levels of life satisfaction in old age. Among seniors, self-rated health is associated with both quality of health and life satisfaction, but its relationships with objective health measures are controversial. This study aimed at identifying the influence of self-rated health as a mediator of the relationships between objectives indicators of physical and mental health and the elderly’s life satisfaction. Self-reporting and physical performance measures were derived from the data basis of the FIBRA Study, which investigated frailty and associated variables in a cross-sectional sample of 2164 subjects aged 65 and above, randomly selected in seven Brazilian cities. A model considering satisfaction as a dependent variable, the number of diseases, frailty, cognitive status and depressive symptoms as predictors and self-rated health as a mediating variable was tested through path analysis. The model fit the data well and explained 19% of life satisfaction’s variance. According to the bootstrapping method, indirect effects were significant for all trajectories, suggesting that self-rated health is a mediator variable between physical and mental health and elderlýs life satisfaction. In conclusion, adverse conditions of physical and mental health can influence the elderlýs life satisfaction, mostly when they determine a decrease in their levels of self-rated health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examined gender differences in the association between work-family conflict and self-rated health and evaluated the effect of educational attainment. Method: We used baseline data from ELSA-Brasil, a cohort study of civil servants from six Brazilian state capitals. Our samples included 12,017 active workers aged 34-72 years. Work-family conflict was measured by four indicators measuring effects of work on family, effects of family in work and lack of time for leisure and personal care. Results: Women experienced more frequent work-family conflict, but in both genders, increased work-family conflict directly correlated with poorer self-rated health. Women's educational level interacted with three work-family conflict indicators. For time-based effects of work on family, highly educated women had higher odds of suboptimal self-rated health (OR = 1.54; 95 % CI = 1.19-1.99) than less educated women (OR = 1.14; 95 % CI = 0.92-1.42). For strain-based effects of work on family, women with higher and lower education levels had OR = 1.91 (95 % CI 1.48-2.47) and OR = 1.40 (95 % CI 1.12-1.75), respectively. For lack of time for leisure and personal care, women with higher and lower education levels had OR = 2.60 (95 % CI = 1.95-3.47) and OR = 1.11 (95 % CI = 0.90-1.38), respectively. Conclusion: Women's education level affects the relationship between work-family conflict and self-rated health. The results may contribute to prevention activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The determinants of self-rated health (SRH) have been widely investigated to explain social differences and gender differences in health. This study aimed to investigate the gender differences in predictors of SRH among Brazilian and Chilean older adults. Methods: We used two samples of older people: 2052 Brazilian community-dwelling participants (1226 women and 862 men) and 1301 Chilean community-dwelling participants (855 women and 446 men). Sequential logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between SRH and potential predictors in a hierarchical model. Results: Overall, 35.5% and 52.1% of individuals in Chile and Brazil, respectively, reported good SRH. There was a gradient association between good SRH and chronic diseases in both countries. Chilean men without chronic disease or with one had a higher chance of good SRH, compared to two or more diseases. For Brazilian men, no or one chronic disease was associated with good SRH. For women, the set of independent predictors for good SRH included no chronic diseases or one chronic disease, and no activities of daily living limitation. For men, the set also included instrumental activities limitation. For Brazilian adults of both genders, depression demonstrated the strongest independent association with good SRH. Conclusions: We conclude that when examining gender differences in predictors of SRH, the similarities are greater than the differences between Brazilian and Chilean older adults. In both countries, physical health was the most important predictor of SRH. In addition, absence of depression was the strongest predictor of good health in older Brazilian adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using baseline data from ELSA-Brasil (N = 15,105), we investigated whether subjective social status, measured using three 10-rung “ladders,” is associated with self-rated health and smoking, independently of objective indicators of social position and depression symptoms. Additionally, we explored whether the magnitude of these associations varies according to the reference group. Subjective social status was independently associated with poor self-rated health and weakly associated with former smoking. The references used for social comparison did not change these associations significantly. Subjective social status, education, and income represent distinct aspects of social inequities, and the impact of each of these indicators on health is different. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: This work contributes to the study of the relationship between health, work and context by investigating the interaction between them in Brazil, a country with great social inequalities. It investigates whether unemployment and socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhoods in which people live are associated with poor self-rated health after adjustment for individual sociodemographic characteristics, behavioral risk factors and health status. Moreover, it tests whether living in an area of socioeconomic deprivation modifies the association between unemployment and self-rated health. The study involved participants whose ages ranged from 15 up to 64 years, and who lived in four Brazilian cities included in the National Household Survey on Risk Behaviors and Reported Morbidity from Non-Communicable Diseases, carried out by the Ministry of Health in 2002/2003. Data from the 2000 Brazilian Population Census were used to calculate two neighborhood socioeconomic indicators: the proportion of householders with low income, a compositional variable of individual level characteristics, and residing in slums, a contextual variable not captured by individual properties. Logistic regression analysis was estimated by Generalized Estimating Equations. Of the 6426 participants, 20.6% reported poor self-rated health. Unemployment as well as residing in slums or in low income household areas were significantly associated with poor self-rated health. The magnitudes of these associations were attenuated after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, behavioral risk factors and other health status indicators. However, the association between unemployment and poor self-rated health was not modified by neighborhood socioeconomic indicators. Results confirm the association between unemployment and poor self-rated health, regardless of the personal or contextual characteristics studied here. Similarly, they show a clear independent association between self-rated health and neighborhood context. Even so, they do not show that the neighborhood contexts investigated modify the associations between unemployment and poor self-rated health. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Social distancing, a critical measure to manage COVID-19 transmission, is consistently associated with social isolation, a major health issue. Social isolation negatively impacts mental and physical health, particularly among older adults. A pre-post comparison study examined changes in cognitive function and perceived health among 36 community-dwelling Brazilian older adults, assessed pre and post social distancing measures enacted due to COVID-19. A significant increase in cognitive function was found 1 month into social distancing ( M = 16.3, p = .002, power = 0.88), with declining scores for vitality ( M = -29.3, p < .001, power = 0.99) and mental health ( M = -38.1, p < .001, power = 0.99), particularly among participants who lived alone ( t = -3.8, p = .001). Older adults exhibit rapid changes in perceived health when excluded from participation in social activities. Health care professionals should consider holistic approaches when addressing the impacts of social isolation on this population.

There is still a need for more empirical investigations to better understand the causal pathways by which neighborhood socioeconomic contexts translate into states of health. This study explored the relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic position and health, as well as the role of social cohesion, violence, places to buy healthy food, and sports and leisure spaces in mediating this relationship in a diverse set of neighborhoods in Brazil. We applied a general multiple mediation approach to analyze a cross-sectional survey of 4.046 adults living in 149 neighborhoods in 2008 and 2009. The property value was chosen as an indicator of neighborhood socioeconomic position and self-rated health as the outcome. The four mediators were constructed from the self-perception of the participants. Results: We found that people living in economically advantaged neighborhoods were less likely to report their health as being fair/poor/very poor (OR = 0.71; 95% CI = 0.63, 0.76) than people living in disadvantaged neighborhoods, and this effect was mediated by the perception of violence in the neighborhoods. On average, 8.4% of the neighborhood socioeconomic disparity in self-rated health may be explained by violence. We did not ascertain as mediators social cohesion, places to buy healthy food, and sports and leisure spaces. Violence perception mediates the relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic position and self-rated health. Targeted interventions designed to improve the health status of the population could usefully focus on reducing the level of violence in which people live. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Self-rated health is a multidimensional health indicator and a predictor of adverse events in old age. Answers to this assessment are influenced by social, cultural and personality factors. Aim: Exploring common and distinctive characteristics of Brazilian and Portuguese older adults aged 70 and over regarding positive self-rated health according to sociodemographic variables, to functional capacity, to independent performance of basic activities of daily living and to neuroticism, as well as analyzing associations between positive self-rated health and these variables. Methods: The present paper is a comparative and cross-sectional study based on secondary data contained in the databases of the FIBRA (Frailty in Brazilian Older Adults) follow-up study, with 418 Brazilian older adults, and of the DIA (From Disability to Activity: The Challenge of Aging) study, with 380 Portuguese older adults. Both samples had higher percentages of women: 68.4% for Portugal and 69.9% for Brazil. The Brazilian sample had a higher average age (80.31 ± 4.67) than the Portuguese sample (76.80 ± 5.28). Results: The Portuguese older adults had better overall cognition scores, higher handgrip strength and higher neuroticism values than the Brazilian older adults. In the simple and multiple logistic regression analyses, it was found that among Brazilian older adults, subjects with higher scores in the MMSE (OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.08-1.24), regardless of ADL performance (OR 2.13; 95% CI 1.31-3.47) and with scores 24-29 (OR 1.92; 95% CI 1.07-3.43) or 11-23 (OR 2.09; 95% CI 1.15-3.79) in neuroticism were more likely to assess their health as very good/good. On the other hand, the Portuguese older adults with intermediate 24-9 (OR 2.38; 95% CI 1.31-4.33) or low 11-23 (OR 5.31; 95% CI 2.69-10.45) scores in neuroticism were more likely to evaluate their health as very good/good. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study and on the existing literature, it may be said that it is possible for people to age while keeping a positive perception of their own health, even in advanced old age; comparisons between the above-mentioned countries, however, point to the need for investments in healthcare systems so that older adults may enjoy greater physical independence and improved mental health., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Cachioni, Cipolli, Borim, Batistoni, Yassuda, Neri and Paúl.)

This study analyzes the association between income inequality and self-reported health (SRH) in older adults, and separately for the young-old and very-old groups, residing in each of the 27 Brazilian capitals. The sample consisted of 4,912 individuals aged 60 or older residing in Brazilian capitals in 2013. Bayesian multilevel models were applied to the whole sample and separately for individuals aged 60 to 79 (young-old), and 80 or more (very-old). Our results show significant associations between income inequality and SRH, even after controlling for individual and contextual factors. We found greater odds of poor SRH among older adults living in areas with medium (odds ratio [OR] = 1.66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49-1.86) and high-income inequality (OR = 2.21, 95% CI: 2.05-2.38). The negative association between income inequality and health, independently of the individual and contextual characteristics, suggests that living in unequal areas can have a detrimental effect on the health of older adults.

Background: The literature remains seldom on the topic of self-rated health (SRH) among the national working populations of emerging countries. The objectives of the study were to examine the associations of occupational factors with SRH in a national representative sample of the working population in Brazil.Methods: This study relied on a cross-sectional sample of 36,442 workers, 16,992 women and 19,450 men. SRH was the studied health outcome. Sixteen occupational factors related to four topics were studied: employment characteristics, working time/hours, psychosocial work factors and physical and chemical work exposures. The associations between occupational factors and SRH were studied using logistic regression models with adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics (age, ethnicity and marital status). The analyses were performed for each gender separately and using weights.Results: The prevalence of poor SRH was 26.71%, this prevalence being higher among women (29.77%) than among men (24.23%). The following risk factors for poor SRH were found among men and women: working as a self-employed worker, clerk/service worker, manual worker, part-time (≤ 20 h/week), exposure to work stress, exposure to high physical activity and exposure to sun. The risk factors for poor SRH among women only were: working as a domestic worker and exposure to noise, and among men, working in the agriculture sector.Conclusions: Our study suggested that occupational factors related to both physical and psychosocial work environment may be associated with SRH in the working population in Brazil. Improving working conditions may be beneficial for health at work in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the role of social class in the association between adiposity measures and self-rated health, and several studies have evaluated its influence as a confounder. The aim of the study is to investigate whether social class is an effect modifier in the association between adiposity measures and self-rated health in participants in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)., Method: Cross-sectional design, including 6453 men and 7686 women. Body mass index (kg/m 2 ) and waist circumference (cms) were assessed. Self-rated health was categorized as good, fair and poor. Socio-occupational class was based on the participants' occupation, education and per capita income. Multicovariate ordinal logistic model was used to evaluate the association between adiposity measures and self-rated health., Results: For women, the low and medium socio-occupational class effects were higher for those with waist circumference between 80 and 88 cm or overweight. For men, the low and medium socio-occupational class effects were higher for those with adequate waist circumference or normal body mass index., Conclusions: Social class is an effect modifier in the association between body mass index or waist circumference and self-rated health.

This study investigated whether the association between body image dissatisfaction and poor self-rated health is mediated by insufficient physical activity and unhealthy eating habits. The participants were 6727 men and 8037 women from the baseline (2008&ndash;2010) of the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (Estudo Longitudinal de Sa&uacute;de do Adulto, ELSA-Brasil). Structural equation modelling was used. Associations were found between body image dissatisfaction and poor self-rated health in both sexes. Insufficient physical activity was a mediator. However, unhealthy eating habits were found to exert a mediator effect only via insufficient physical activity. Body image dissatisfaction was found to associate, both directly and possibly indirectly, with poor self-rated health, mediated by insufficient physical activity and unhealthy eating habits. Accordingly, encouraging physical activity and healthy eating can contribute to reducing body image dissatisfaction and favour better self-rated health.

The objective was to examine the role of SRH as a predictor of mortality in elderly men in a medium-size Brazilian city. In 2 years of follow-up, 120 deaths occurred in the study population, with the following main causes: cardiovascular diseases (40%), neoplasms (22.5%), and respiratory diseases (10%). In practically all of the target variable strata, elderly men with fair or poor SRH showed a higher risk of dying as compared to those with excellent or good SRH. In the final model, the variables fair/poor SRH (hazard risk=HR=1.88, 95% confidence interval=95%CI=1.29–2.72), age (HR=1.05, 95%CI=1.03–1.08), public health system as the regular source of care (HR=1.69, 95%CI=1.10–2.60), current smoking (HR=1.94, 95%CI=1.24–3.04), and acute cardiovascular disease (HR=1.62, 95%CI=1.06–2.47) were associated with mortality. We concluded that SRH proved to be a predictive variable for mortality in elderly men after 2 years of follow-up, with nearly a twofold risk of death among men that reported fair or poor health, after adjusting for age, regular use of the public health system, current smoking, and acute cardiovascular disease. Given the importance of poor SRH for predicting mortality in elderly men, health services should incorporate this indicator into health assessments in this population. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]