Self-Rated Health among Older Adults: Longitudinal Analyses Examining Sex Differences across Different Birth Cohorts and Educational Levels

Abstract

Introduction: Given the known female disadvantage in physical and mental health, this study aimed to investigate sex differences in self-rated health (SRH) among older adults, considering the longitudinal course by age, birth cohort, and educational level. Methods: Data from birth cohort 1911–1937 with baseline age 55–81 years (n = 3,107) and birth cohort 1938–1947 with baseline age 55–65 years (n = 1,002) from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) were used. Mixed model analyses were used to examine sex differences in SRH (RAND General Health Perception Questionnaire [RAND-GHPQ], range 0–16) over the age course, testing for effect modification by the birth cohort and educational level (low, middle, high). Results: For both sexes, a decline in SRH was seen with increasing age. Over the age course, there was no significant sex difference in SRH within the older (1911–1937) birth cohort (0.13 lower score on SRH for women compared to men, 95% CI: −0.35 to 0.09) and only a small sex difference in the more recent (1938–1947) birth cohort (0.35 lower score on SRH for women compared to men [95% CI: −0.69 to −0.02], p = 0.04). There was no significant cohort difference in the size of the sex difference (p = 0.279). Those with a higher level of education reported a higher SRH, but between educational levels, there was no significant difference in the size of the sex difference in SRH. Discussion: In this study, no relevant sex difference in SRH over the age course was observed among older adults. Future research on SRH trajectories by sex during aging should take health-related, cognitive, psychosocial, and behavioral factors into account.