| Demographic Group: | Resident persons aged >=18 years. |
| Numerator: | Respondents aged >=18 years who report their general health status as “fair” or “poor.” |
| Denominator: | Respondents aged >=18 years who report their general health status as “excellent,” “very good,” “good,” “fair,” or “poor” (excluding unknowns and refusals). |
| Measures of Frequency: | Annual prevalence — crude and age-adjusted (standardized by the direct method to the year 2000 standard U.S. population, distribution 9*) — with 95% confidence interval. |
| Time Period of Case Definition: | Current. |
| Background: | In 2002, a total of 14% of adults reported “fair” or “poor” health status. |
| Significance: | Self-assessed health status is a strong measure of overall health status and has been demonstrated to correlate with subsequent health service use, functional status, and mortality. |
| Limitations of Indicator: | The indicator is based on self-assessment. |
| Data Resources: | Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/HRQOL/ |
| Limitations of Data Resources: | As with all self-reported sample surveys, BRFSS data might be subject to systematic error resulting from noncoverage (e.g., lower telephone coverage among populations of low socioeconomic status), nonresponse (e.g., refusal to participate in the survey or to answer specific questions), or measurement (e.g., social desirability or recall bias). |
| Healthy People 2010 Objectives: | HP2010 Overarching Goal 1: Increase quality and years of healthy life.
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