Self-Reported Health among Old-Age Populations: A Cross-National Comparison across Latin America

Martha Pelaez, PAHO

This paper examines covariates of self-reported health among individuals aged 60 or older in three parts. First, we examine the association of self-reported health with various measures of well being (functionality, self-report of chronic conditions, satisfaction with memory, satisfaction with financial conditions, and satisfaction with life) in an attempt to understand the meaning of the components of the overall self-reported health. Second, we examine the socioeconomic covariates of self-reported health, such as age, sex, education, income, availability of health insurance, to understand the social context in which health differences occur. And third, we make comparisons across seven countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region, to conclude about how generalized findings are. We use data from the SABE study, completed in seven cities of the region around the year 2000.