Table 1.
Think-Aloud Self-Reported Health Responses: Respondents Mentioning Each Category of Personal Health Meanings (N= 34)
| Personal Meaning of Health | n | % | Excellent (n = 2) | Good (n = 20) | Fair (n = 9) | Poor (n = 4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion for health (N) | (29) | (85) | ||||
| Independent functioning | 7 | 21 | — | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Physical condition | 9 | 26 | — | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| Personal responsibility and control | 6 | 18 | 1 | 5 | — | — |
| Embodied experience (how I feel; pain) | 14 | 41 | — | 10 | 3 | 1 |
| Evaluative rationale (N) | (23) | (68) | ||||
| Comparison | 16 | 47 | ||||
| Could be better, could be worse | 4 | — | 2 | 2 | — | |
| Doing well, considering | 10 | — | 7 | 3 | — | |
| Others worse off | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | |
| Range of possibilities | 6 | 18 | ||||
| Can’t say anything but bottom | 2 | — | — | — | 2 | |
| Not perfect/can’t say top | 4 | — | 4 | — | — | |
| Resilience and vulnerability to adversity | 4 | 12 | ||||
| Nothing bothering me | 4 | — | 4 | — | — |
Notes: One respondent did not provide a think-aloud response. Respondents often mentioned more than one personal meaning. Finally, the frequency for a given personal meaning does not necessarily indicate its importance or cultural salience.