Question context and priming meaning of health: Effect on differences in self-rated health between Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites

S. Lee and N. Schwarz

American Journal of Public Health, 2014, vol. 104, issue 1, 179-185

Abstract: Objectives: We examined the implications of the current recommended data collection practice of placing self-rated health (SRH) before specific healthrelated questions (hence, without a health context) to remove potential context effects, between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. Methods: We used 2 methodologically comparable surveys conducted in English and Spanish that asked SRH in different contexts: before and after specific health questions. Focusing on the elderly, we compared the influence of question contexts on SRH between Hispanics and non-Hispanics and between Spanish and English speakers. Results: The question context influenced SRH reports of Spanish speakers (and Hispanics) significantly but not of English speakers (and non-Hispanics). Specifically, on SRH within a health context, Hispanics reported more positive health, decreasing the gap with non-Hispanic Whites by two thirds, and the measurement utility of SRH was improved through more consistent mortality prediction across ethnic and linguistic groups. Conclusions: Contrary to the current recommendation, asking SRH within a health context enhanced measurement utility. Studies using SRH may result in erroneous conclusions when one does not consider its question context.

Keywords: aged; Caucasian; comparative study; epidemiology; female; health status; health survey; Hispanic; human; male; middle aged; mortality; self report; statistics and numerical data; trends; United States; article; Caucasian; Hispanic; statistics; United States, Aged; European Continental Ancestry Group; Female; Health Status; Health Surveys; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality; Self Report; United States, Aged; European Continental Ancestry Group; Female; Health Status; Health Surveys; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality; Self Report; United States (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2012.301055_4

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301055

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