ArticleBMJ open2019
A cross-sectional study of self-rated health among older adults: a comparison of China and the United States.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 61 citations in OpenAlex.
- Epidemiological Determinants and Health-Related Predictors of Self-Perceived Health among Community-Dwelling Older Adults Aged 65 Years and Over: Evidence from a Community-Based Study Involving 10,321 Participants.Journal of epidemiology and global health · 2026Article
- Childhood experiences and adult self-rated physical health in 22 countries.BMC global and public health · 2026Article
- How Anxiety Shapes Students' Self-Rated Health at Elite Universities: A Longitudinal Study.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The association of self-rated health with physical activity and demographic factors: a study in primary care from Northwest of Iran.BMC primary care · 2025Article
- Assessment of oral morbidity and self rated health in the Indian geriatric population with a propensity score matched approach.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Demographic variation in self-rated physical health across 22 countries: findings from the Global Flourishing Study.BMC global and public health · 2025Article
- Association between the cumulative estimated glucose disposal rate and incident cardiovascular disease in individuals over the age of 50 years and without diabetes: data from two large cohorts in China and the United States.Cardiovascular diabetology · 2025Article
- The Role of Health in the Technology Acceptance Model Among Low-Income Asian American Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Survey Analysis.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Community ambulation in older adults and people with OA - a model verification using Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) data.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- The middle-aged and older Chinese adults' health using actigraphy in Taiwan (MOCHA-T): protocol for a multidimensional dataset of health and lifestyle.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Parent-Child Relationship Typologies and Associated Health Status Among Older Adults in the United States and China: A Cross-Cultural Comparison.Innovation in aging · 2024Article
- Correlates of poor self-rated health among school-going adolescent girls in urban Varanasi, India.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Sexual activity, sexual satisfaction and their correlates among older adults in China: findings from the sexual well-being (SWELL) study.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2023Article
- Migration status, physical limitations and associated self-rated health: a study of older Indian adults.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Poor Self-Rated Health and Associated Factors among Older Persons in Malaysia: A Population-Based Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- The Effect of Family Wealth on Physical Function Among Older Adults in Mpumalanga, South Africa: A Causal Network Analysis.International journal of public health · 2023Article
- Self-rated health among older adults in India: Gender specific findings from National Sample Survey.PloS one · 2023Article
- Reliability and predictive validity of two scales of self-rated health in China: results from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).BMC public health · 2022Article
- Factors related to self-rated health of older adults in rural China: A study based on decision tree and logistic regression model.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Hierarchical Regression of Wellbeing and Self-Rated Health among Older Adults in Abu Dhabi.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesWe used nationally representative samples of China and the US older population to investigate (1) whether factors influencing self-rated health among older Chinese were similar to those among older Americans; and (2) whether there was a significant cross-national difference in self-rated health between China and the USA after controlling those available influencing factors.
designA cross-sectional study. Data came from the 2014 Health and Retirement Study and China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study conducted from 2014 to 2015.
participantsOur final sample size totaled 8905 older adults in the USA and 4442 older adults in China. OUTCOME: The response variable was self-rated health. Ordered logistic regression models were conducted to investigate factors influencing self-rated health among older adults.
resultsMore than three-fourths (78%) of older adults in China reported fair or poor health status, while almost 74% of older adults in the USA reported excellent, very good or good health status. In the overall ordered logistic regression model, when controlling statistically for sociodemographics, family structure, functional limitations, cognition, chronic conditions, mental health and health-related behaviours, the Chinese survey respondents were much more likely to rate their health as being poorer than the US respondents. The odds of having better versus poorer health was almost five times greater in American older adults than those in China (OR=4.88, 95% CI 4.06 to 5.86). Older adults in China living alone rated their health better than those living with spouse/partner; however, no significant difference was found between these two living arrangements in older Americans. In contrast, older adults in the USA living with others rated their health worse compared with those living with spouse/partner. In addition, older adults who had more activities of daily living limitations, poorer self-reported memory, worse mental health and chronic health conditions had lower self-rated health in both countries.
conclusionsWe found a striking difference in self-rated health between China and the USA even after controlling for measures of disease, functional status and other influencing factors. Relative to their American counterparts, Chinese elders were much more likely to report worse health.
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