Exploring ethnic differences in understanding of self-rated health among persons of Turkish, Bosnian and German origin

Abstract

Objective: Self-rated health (SRH) is a widely used indictor of the subjective health status in population-based studies. However, differences in the reporting style across ethnic groups may limit the predictive ability of SRH for objective health outcomes. As part of the preparation phase of the UPWEB (understanding the practice and developing the concept of welfare bricolage) project, this study explored ethnic differences in the understanding of self-rated health among persons of Turkish, Bosnian and German origin, living in two northern Germany cities, Bremen and Hamburg. Results: Thirty persons, 10 per ethnic group, aged 32-82 years, took part in the assessment based on cognitive interviewing. All three ethnic groups defined SRH as the absence or presence of visible or non-visible disturbances and/or deviations from the norm, the ability or limited ability to act as well as the result of specific behaviours. However, only participants from the two migrant groups referred to community cohesion and religious or traditional beliefs as aspects of their SRH, indicating a systematic difference in the understanding of this question.