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The role of education in explaining trends in self-rated health in the United States, 1972–2018

Author

Listed:
  • Jona Schellekens

    (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

  • Anat Ziv

    (University of New Brunswick)

Abstract

Background: The percentage of older adults in the United States reporting being in good health has increased since the 1980s. Objective: This study tries to explain long-term trends in self-rated health in the United States. Methods: We used 47 years of repeated cross-sectional data from the National Health Interview Survey to estimate regression models that predict trends in self-rated health. Results: Our results show that the improvement in self-rated health of men as well as women aged 50–84 is largely explained by gains in educational attainment. Self-rated health has slightly improved among those with post-secondary education, while it did not improve among those without post-secondary education. Contribution: This study is one of the few to try to explain long-term trends in self-rated health. It does so for a much longer period of time than any previous study.

Suggested Citation

  • Jona Schellekens & Anat Ziv, 2020. "The role of education in explaining trends in self-rated health in the United States, 1972–2018," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 42(12), pages 383-398.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:42:y:2020:i:12
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2020.42.12
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    Cited by:

    1. Chao Yu & Xinyi Zhang & Junbo Gao, 2022. "Multi-Dimensional Comparison of the Impact Mechanism of the Self-Rated Health Status of Urban and Rural Residents in Chinese Social Environments," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-16, August.
    2. Jona Schellekens, 2021. "Maternal education and infant mortality decline: The evidence from Indonesia, 1980–2015," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 45(24), pages 807-824.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    self-rated health; education;

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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