Self-rated health and the association with social and demographic factors, health behavior, and morbidity: a national health survey

Self-rated health is an important indicator used to measure health perception. This study aimed to investigate the association between self-rated health and social and demographic factors, health behavior, and morbidity. This was a cross-sectional study based on data from a national health survey. The sample consisted of 12,324 individuals from Brazil's five major geographic regions. Regression analyses were conducted to verify the association between the outcome and the following independent variables: gender, age, income, education, race, marital status, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, chronic illnesses, and body mass index. Increasing age, low education and income, smoking, sedentary habits, chronic illness, and obesity were the factors most strongly associated with worse self-rated health. The identification of population attributes associated with worse self-rated health can help trace a profile of individuals more prone to seeking health services.