Self-Perceived Health Status

Abstract

Perceived health status is central to adequate health planning, not only because it plays a key role in health but also because it is related to the adoption of a health-promoting lifestyle. The objectives of the present study were to assess the self-perceived health status of the studied population and to correlate self-perceived health status with socioeconomic and demographic variables. This was a quantitative descriptive-correlational study. Data were collected by means of a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Portuguese version of the Medical Outcome Study Short-Form Health Survey (MOS SF-36). The assessed population was composed of the teaching and nonteaching staff of the studied school. IBM® SPSS® statistical software, version 20, was used. The sociodemographic indicators had a significant influence on the respondents’ self-perceived health status. The age group of 36-40 years was associated with a significantly higher self-perceived health status than the other analyzed variables.