The Study of Self-Assessed Health between the Elderly in Shiraz and Yasuj Cities in 2015

Self-Assessed health is a way to assess the quality of that information in the area of biological, mental and spiritual health function specifies. Studying on the person's health status from their viewpoint is an important evaluation in terms of public health status of society. Health self- assessment by a person is an international known index and has a wide usage for the persons’ health status in Public Health Research and epidemiology. The aim of this study is to assess the health of the elderly in the city of Shiraz and Yasuj.The population includes elderly people over 65 years who are residents of Shiraz and Yasuj of whom 760 elders were selected as a sample by random clustering sampling method. Analysis of the data was performed by descriptive and inferential statistics through SPSS software. The average of four aspects of the health was 75.18 ± 14.95 that 63.8 percent of them found their health status in the mean level. Demographic variables such as age, education, socio-economic class, employment status, marital status, ethnicity, the number of children, the history of patient had significant relation with self-assessment health. There was no significant relation between gender and health self-assessment. In addition, the cultural and social values such as health behaviors, social support, self-esteem, using media, having intimate relation with children and friends have a significant relation with self-assessment health. Determination coefficient statistic R2 also shows that 40 percent of changes of related variable (self-assessment) are explained by seven independent variables that remain in the equation and include self- esteem, the patient history, the number of children, health behavior, ethnicity, education, social support. How anybody feels about itself and how much value has considered for him, can effect on health assessment. This study showes that the status of health in Shiraz and Yasuj was in the mean level and needs the support of authorities and families.