Publication:

Factors influencing self-rated health in Thailand: findings from a national cross-sectional study

Background This study aims to determine the prevalence of self-rated health (SRH) in Thailand and related factors.

Methods National representative, cross-sectional, data was used for this analysis. SRH was measured by asking the question: "How do you rate your general health?"; the following response answers were "very good", "good", "moderate", "not good", and "very bad". We classified "very good" and "good" as "good". For "poor", we collapse moderate, not good, and very bad. Descriptive and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted using R version 4.3.0.

Results The prevalence of SRH was 46.4% (95% CI: 45.8%, 47.0%). The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that those who aged 70-75 years and above had higher odds of poor health status compared to those aged 45-49 years (adjusted odds ratio: 2.7; 95% CI: 2.2, 3.4). Participants who reported having a non-communicable disease were more likely to report poor health status than those who not (adjusted OR: 4.8; 95% CI: 4.1, 5.7).

Conclusions This study reveals that there have a high prevalence of self-rated health and identifies significant factors such as non-communicable diseases, age, and the number of years of schooling attended.