Associations Between Healthy Behaviors and Persistently Favorable Self-Rated Health in a Longitudinal Population-Based Study in Switzerland

Mayssam Nehme; Stephanie Schrempft; Helene Baysson; Nick Pullen; Serguei Rouzinov; Silvia Stringhini; Speccio Study Group; Idris Guessous

doi:10.1007/s11606-024-08739-1

Associations Between Healthy Behaviors and Persistently Favorable Self-Rated Health in a Longitudinal Population-Based Study in Switzerland

J Gen Intern Med. 2024 Mar 25. doi: 10.1007/s11606-024-08739-1. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Mayssam Nehme^{1

2}, Stephanie Schrempft^{3

4}, Helene Baysson^{3

4}, Nick Pullen^{3

4}, Serguei Rouzinov^{3

4}, Silvia Stringhini^{3

4

5

6}; Speccio Study Group; Idris Guessous^{3

4

7}

Collaborators

Speccio Study Group:
Antoine Bal, Aminata Rosalie Bouhet, Paola D'ippolito, Roxane Dumont, Nacira El Merjani, Natalie Francioli, Severine Harnal, Stephane Joost, Gabriel Kathari, Julien Lamour, Andrea Jutta Loizeau, Elsa Lorthe, Chantal Martinez, Shannon Mecoullam, Caroline Pugin, Viviane Richard, Anshu Uppal, Jennifer Villers, María-Eugenia Zaballa

Affiliations

¹ Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland. Mayssam.nehme@hcuge.ch.
² Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland. Mayssam.nehme@hcuge.ch.
³ Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁴ Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁵ University Center for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁶ School of Population and Public Health and Edwin S.H, Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
⁷ Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.

PMID: 38528233
DOI: 10.1007/s11606-024-08739-1

Abstract

Background: Self-rated health is a subjective yet valuable indicator of overall health status, influenced by various factors including physical, psychological, and socio-economic elements. Self-rated health could be telling and used by primary care physicians to evaluate overall present and predictive health.

Design: This study investigates the longitudinal evolution of self-rated health in Switzerland during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the association of persistently favorable self-rated health with various predictors.

Participants: This study based on the Specchio cohort, a population-based digital study in Geneva Switzerland, involved participants completing questionnaires from 2021 to 2023.

Main measures: Self-rated health was assessed alongside factors like physical and mental health, socio-economic status, and lifestyle behaviors.

Key results: The study included 7006 participants in 2021, and 3888 participants who answered all three follow-ups (2021, 2022, and 2023). At baseline, 34.9% of individuals reported very good, 54.6% reported good, 9.6% reported average, and 1.0% reported poor to very poor self-rated health. Overall, 29.1% had a worsening in their self-rated health between 2021 and 2023. A subset of participants (12.1%) maintained very good self-rated health throughout, demonstrating persistently favorable self-rated health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Positive health behaviors were associated with persistently favorable self-rated health (exercise aOR 1.13 [1.03-1.24]; healthy diet aOR 2.14 [1.70-2.68]; less screen time aOR 1.28 [1.03-1.58]; and better sleep quality aOR 2.48 [2.02-3.04]). Mental health and social support also played significant roles.

Conclusion: The study underscores the significance of healthy lifestyle choices and social support in maintaining favorable self-rated health, particularly during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic. Primary care physicians should focus on promoting these factors, integrating these actions in their routine consultations, and advising patients to undertake in socially engaging activities to improve overall health perceptions and outcomes.