Self-rated health and limiting longstanding illness: Inter-relationships with morbidity in early adulthood

Background: Self-rated health and limiting longstanding illness are both widely used global measures of health, but understanding is poor of their meaning and validity at younger ages. Methods: We examined the association between self-rated health and limiting longstanding illness and specific health problems at two ages (23 and 33 years), and assessed change over the 10-year period for each health measure relative to another. Longitudinal data were taken from the nationally representative British birth cohort for which health measures were obtained at ages 23 and 33. Results: Self-rated health and limiting longstanding illness were strongly associated with each other as well as with specific health problems, particularly with serious conditions (e.g. epilepsy, cancer, diabetes) and more weakly with less serious conditions (e.g. eczema and hay fever). Rating of overall health and limiting longstanding illness was highly stable during the 10-year period with most, but not all, health change reflecting a deterioration in health status. Deterioration in limiting illness corresponded to an even greater health decline in specific conditions. Conclusions: Self-rated health and limiting longstanding illness are valid health measures appropriate for use in general health surveys.