Education and Self-Awareness of Health: Toward a Better Understanding of Self-Rated Health

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the extent to which a person’s educational attainment moderates the relationship between his or her objective markers of health and self-rated health (SRH).

Methodology/approach

I use 10 years’ worth of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999–2009; N = 30,823) to examine how diagnosed medical conditions, health behaviors, and biomarkers are differentially associated with SRH by educational attainment. I use regression analysis to evaluate these relationships.

Findings

Results show that while medical conditions are negatively associated with SRH equally across education levels, behaviors and biomarkers have stronger association with SRH among individuals with greater education. Those with more education are more likely to have had their blood pressure and cholesterol checked in recent months. They are also more likely to correctly identify themselves as overweight when their body mass index exceeds 25.

Research implications

The chapter’s findings indicate that education may play a role in how people interpret and evaluate their own health. Real differences in how people evaluate their health can impact the conclusions that researchers can draw when comparing SRH between education groups. In addition these results can motivate further research in the causes of health disparities. Self-evaluation of health can potentially influence how people monitor and manage their health. Differences in self-evaluation between levels of educational attainment could contribute to disparities in health and mortality.

Originality/value

This chapter examines the relationship between self-rated health, objective markers of health, and education in a novel framework.

Citation

Sohn, H. (2015), "Education and Self-Awareness of Health: Toward a Better Understanding of Self-Rated Health", Education, Social Factors, and Health Beliefs in Health and Health Care Services (Research in the Sociology of Health Care, Vol. 33), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 85-103. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0275-495920150000033004