ABSTRACT
A functional ability and adequate nutritional status are the major determinants of health status. Self-rated health (SRH) is a worldwide method to assess health status and it is recognized as a predictor of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. This study was designed to evaluate the functional ability and nutritional risk according to SRH in the elderly. Four hundred nine free-living elderly people (118 male, 291 female), aged > or = 65 years were interviewed by trained interviewers using structured questionnaires including demographic information, SRH, anthropometric measurements, functional ability, general health status, and nutritional risk. SRH was divided into three status such as "Good", "Moderate" and "Poor" status. And all the data were analyzed by oneway ANOVA , spearman correlation, and x(2) analysis using SPSS 9.0 version at p < 0.05. Of all the subjects, 48.9% perceived their health status as "poor", and their functional abilities (activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living) were more impaired than their counterparts' ("good" and "moderate"). Poor self-rated health was also related to: a higher prevalence of illnesses (p < 0.001) especially in hypertension, arthritis. Self-rated health was significantly related to food security (p < 0.001), food enjoyment (p < 0.001),and nutritional knowledge (p = 0.013). Also NSI checklist total score was the highest in "poor" health status (p < 0.001). Better self-rated health was related to better food security, and better food enjoyment. However, smoking, alcoholic intake, exercise, eating behaviors, and demographic characteristics were not significantly different among the three SRH status. SRH was closely related to chronic diseases, functional ability, and nutritional risk in the elderly. Therefore, public health strategies for the elderly should be focused on the elderly who are "poor" in SRH, to improve nutritional status and functional ability, and to reduce risk factors of chronic diseases.