Adolescent self-rated health predicts general practice attendance in adulthood: Results from the Young-HUNT1 survey

Abstract

Aims: Self-rated health (SRH) is a predictor of future health. However, the association between SRH in adolescence and health problems and health care utilization in adulthood has rarely been investigated. The aim of this study was to examine adolescent SRH as a predictor of general practitioner consultations in adulthood. Methods: SRH was registered in the Young-HUNT1 survey in 1995–1997 (N=8828, mean age 16 years, 88% participation rate). General practitioner consultations during 2006–2014 were obtained from a national claims database. The predictive value of adolescent SRH on general practitioner consultations in adulthood was analysed by regression models estimating the relative risks (RR) for the total number of consultations and consultations for psychological, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal or respiratory problems. Age, sex and baseline measures of chronic disease and health care attendance were used as the adjusting variables. Results: SRH was reported as ‘very good’ by 28.4%, ‘good’ by 60.6% and ‘not good’ by 11.0% of the respondents. The increases in consultation rates were 21% (RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.15–1.27) and 52% (RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.40–1.64) when comparing respondents with ‘very good’ SRH to those with ‘good’ and ‘not good’ SRH, respectively. We also demonstrated a dose–response association between adolescent SRH and general practitioner consultations for psychological, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal or respiratory problems. Conclusions: SRH in adolescence is a predictor for general practitioner consultations in adult life. Previous research shows that SRH is influenced by factors such as well-being, health behaviour, functional status and body satisfaction. Intervention studies are needed to evaluate whether population-based and clinical interventions can improve SRH by improving these factors among adolescents.