Lifestyle index and self-rated health status.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of selected lifestyle factors on self-rated health status in working age population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population derived from the national Polish representative WOBASZ study. The sample consisted of 1222 randomly selected residents of two Polish districts, aged 20-64 years (52.3% women and 47.7% men). We analyzed four health-related behaviors as lifestyle factors that made up the lifestyle index: non-smoking, adequate fruit and vegetable intake, healthy weight, and sufficient physical activity. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals to investigate the impact of lifestyle on self-rated health.

RESULTS: The findings revealed that 4.2, 17.6, 37 and 35.2% of women and 6.4, 19.9, 36.5 and 34.1% of men had the lifestyle index score of 0, 1, 2, 3 points, respectively. Only 6.1% of women and 3.1% of men met all the four criteria of a healthy lifestyle (score 4). Self-rated health was regarded as poor/fair, good or very good by 39.1, 54.3, 6.6% of women and 31.6, 60.7, 7.7% of men, respectively. Poor/fair self-rated health was strongly associated with obesity both in the male and female population. Among men with the lifestyle index score of 0 points, the risk of poor/fair self-rated health was 3.5 times as high (OR = 3.52; 95% CI: 1.36-9.12) as in men with the index score of 4. For women with the scores of 3, 2, 1, and 0, the risk of poor/fair self-rated health was nearly three (OR = 2.89; 95% CI: 1.5-5.56), four (OR = 3.61; 95% CI: 1.88-6.93), six (OR = 5.93; 95% CI: 2.88-12.21) and seven times (OR = 6.67; 95% CI: 1.97-22.51) as high as for those with the lifestyle index score of 4.

CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for implementing more effective health promotion interventions in the society, with special regard to weight reduction programs.