Alcohol and disease

Factors Associated with the Maintenance of Good Self-Rated Health

Using data from the Ontario Longitudinal Study of Aging, the associations of remaining in good self-rated health with various independent variables are examined. Indicators of an "advantaged" socioeconomic status (e.g., relatively high levels of income and education), not smoking, and moderate alcohol use are associated with remaining in good health. The strongest association is observed between a life satisfaction index and remaining in good health, and different explanations are suggested for this finding. Comparisons with the previously reported associations of these same independent variables with mortality show different relationships for the two end points. For example, the associations of several indicators of social relationships with maintaining good self-rated health are not significant, although a strong relationship between social isolation and mortality has been reported. These differences can be explained by assuming that the relationships with the maintenance of good self-rated health can be affected by differential mortality rates.

A Longitudinal Study of Physical Activity and Self-Rated Health in Canadians Over 55 Years of Age

This paper examines factors associated with physical activity and health status among the 796 subjects aged 55 and older who appear in both the 1981 Canada Fitness Survey (CFS) and The Campbell’s Survey on Well-Being (CSWB), a longitudinal follow-up to the CFS. The CSWB can provide information about changes in physical activity patterns and health between 1981 and 1988. Although nonresponse to the overall survey was low, item nonresponse was problematic in some cases. Approximately 50% of the sample were not assessed on physical fitness measures (e.g., body mass index), while 14% and 38% refused to answer questions concerning alcohol consumption and family income, respectively. Of specific interest are the relationships of physical activity levels and self-rated health with socio-economic status, age, gender, smoking history, alcohol consumption, and measures of body composition.