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Dissonances in self-reported health and mortality across denominational groups in Northern Ireland

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  • O'Reilly, Dermot
  • Rosato, Michael

Abstract

Measures of self-reported health status are increasingly used in research and health policy. However, the inherent subjectivity of the responses gives rise to lingering concerns about their utility, especially across national and cultural boundaries. In this study we use religious denomination as a proxy for Scottish ancestry within Northern Ireland and demonstrate significant differences in levels of self-reported ill-health that are not fully reflected in mortality risks. These findings mirror the differences between Scotland and Northern Ireland previously shown in ecological studies and provide more definitive evidence that even within the United Kingdom factors other than morbidity levels influence the perception and reporting of health status. Possible explanations for the dissonance between morbidity and mortality levels are discussed and the reasons for a preference for socio-economic rather than cultural factors are described.

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  • O'Reilly, Dermot & Rosato, Michael, 2010. "Dissonances in self-reported health and mortality across denominational groups in Northern Ireland," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(5), pages 1011-1017, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:71:y:2010:i:5:p:1011-1017
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    1. Georgia Verropoulou, 2014. "Specific versus general self-reported health indicators predicting mortality among older adults in Europe: disparities by gender employing SHARE longitudinal data," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 59(4), pages 665-678, August.
    2. Frank Dunstan & David L Fone & Myer Glickman & Stephen Palmer, 2013. "Objectively Measured Residential Environment and Self-Reported Health: A Multilevel Analysis of UK Census Data," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(7), pages 1-7, July.
    3. David M. Wright & Michael Rosato & Dermot O’Reilly, 2017. "Influence of Heterogamy by Religion on Risk of Marital Dissolution: A Cohort Study of 20,000 Couples," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 33(1), pages 87-107, February.
    4. David M. Wright & Michael Rosato & Dermot O’Reilly, 2017. "Which long-term illnesses do patients find most limiting? A census-based cross-sectional study of 340,000 people," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 62(8), pages 939-947, November.

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