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Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 2002 May 1;93(3):193–197. doi: 10.1007/BF03404999

Predictors of Adolescent Self-rated Health

Analysis of the National Population Health Survey

Evelyn R Vingilis 18,✉, Terrance J Wade 28, Jane S Seeley 38
PMCID: PMC6979869  PMID: 12050986

Abstract

Objective: To examine what factors predict adolescents’ concepts of their health.

Methods: The study, based on the longitudinal National Population Health Survey, included 1,493 adolescents who were 12–19 at the time of interview. Sex, age, grade, family structure, income, disability, chronic health problems, social supports, social involvement, school/work involvement, smoking, alcohol bingeing, physical activities, Body Mass Index (BMI) and psychological health status variables were examined. Using ordinal multivariate regression, self-rated health was regressed on all predictors, which were entered in blocks hierarchically.

Results: The analyses revealed that adolescent perceptions of health are framed not only by their physical health status, but also by personal, socio-environmental, behavioural and psychological factors. Specifically, health problems, disability, age, female status, lower income, smoking, and higher BMI were associated with lower self-rated health.

Conclusions: This study suggests that adolescent appraisals of their health are shaped by their overall sense of functioning, which includes both physical health and non-physical health dimensions.

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