Health
Self-rated health
Self-rated health allows people to weigh together the different aspects of health that they consider most important [9]. In many health surveys, self-rated health is measured by a single question [9] and studies have found only very small differences in responses between different question wordings; suggesting that most single-question measures of health status tap into the same concept [10]. Self-rated health provides information in addition to standard clinical assessments of health status.
The Canterbury Wellbeing Survey has included the question, ‘In general, how would you rate your health’, since 2017 [11]. The question is scored using a five-category response format: poor–excellent.
This indicator presents the proportion of those 18 years and over rating their health as good, very good, or excellent, in the 2017 to 2020 Canterbury Wellbeing Surveys.
The figure shows that the proportion of respondents rating their health as good, very good or excellent in the 2020 Canterbury Wellbeing Survey was 80.2 percent. This proportion is statistically significantly lower than 2019 (84.8%).
The figure shows the proportion of respondents rating their health as good, very good or excellent, for European respondents, Māori respondents, and for Pacific/Asian/Indian respondents (81.0%, 71.8%, and 81.6%, respectively, in 2020). European respondents had better self-rated health (a statistically significantly higher proportion rating their health as good, very good, or excellent), than Pacific/Asian/Indian respondents in 2017 and 2018, and Māori respondents in 2017 and 2020. In 2020, a significantly higher proportion of Pacific/Asian/Indian respondents rated their health as good, very good or excellent than Māori respondents, however in previous years there were no statistically significant differences between these groups.
The figure shows a pattern of generally similar self-rated health (proportion rating their health as good, very good or excellent) for the age groups 18 to 24 years, 25 to 34 years, 35 to 49 years, 50 to 64 years, and 65 to 74 years, for 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 (all falling into the range 79.5% to 86.5%). Of note, the proportion for the 75+ years age group was statistically significantly lower than for the 35 to 49 years age group at all timepoints and was statistically significantly lower than for some other age groups at certain timepoints: 50 to 64 years age group in 2017, and 65 to 74 years age group in 2018 and 2020. There was a statistically significant decrease in self-rated health among 18 to 24 year-olds between 2019 and 2020 (85.7% rating their health as good, very good or excellent in 2019 compared to 74.6% in 2020).
The figure shows that the proportion of respondents rating their health as good, very good, or excellent increases with increasing annual household income. The differences between the four income groups were all statistically significant in 2017 and 2020 and all but one comparison ($30,000–$60,000 vs. $60,000–$100,000) was statistically significant in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, most respondents from the $100,000+ income group (89.2%) rated their health as good, very good or excellent, compared with 61.8 percent of those from the <$30,000 income group (a substantial and statistically significant difference).
The figure shows that respondents with a disability or long-term health condition (irrespective of age) indicated poorer self-rated health (a statistically significantly smaller proportion rating their health as good, very good or excellent) compared with those without a disability or long-term health condition over the time period from 2017 to 2020. There is no statistically significant difference in self-rated health between those with a disability or long-term health condition who are aged under 65 years and those who are aged 65 years and over at any timepoint (43.4% and 51.2% in 2020, respectively). Between 2019 and 2020 there was a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of respondents with a disability or long-term health condition who are aged under 65 years rating their health as good, very good or excellent, however no significant change was observed among those without a disability or long-term health condition, or those with a disability or long-term health condition who are aged 65 years and over.
Data Sources
Source: Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury - formerly the Canterbury District Health Board.
Survey/data set: Canterbury Wellbeing Survey to 2020. Access publicly available data from Te Mana Ora | Community and Public Health website at www.cph.co.nz/your-health/wellbeing-survey/
Source data frequency: Annually.