Indicators of Health Status in Adolescence

Abstract

The study reported here is based on data obtained in 1968–1970 from a representative community sample of urban black youths in the United States aged 12–17 years, inclusive. Analysis is directed at conceptual and methodological issues in measuring health status. It suggests the need for greater attention to subjective self-evaluated and self-reported components of health status, specified here as “ontological” health. This is related to health and illness behavior generally, to utilization of health services more particularly. The case is made for a multiple-indicator approach to measuring health status as being more consistent with the multidimensional phenomenon to which it refers. The method used in this study for deriving a composite health status index from four component self-reported indicators is described. The distribution of the sample on this composite was used to identify self-reported health conditions that warrant attention from providers of adolescent health services. Since subjective evaluations influence experienced severity of health problems, the health status composite index was applied in this study as a means of discriminating differential seriousness in self-reported health problems. Finally, some differences between indicators of “ontological” health and “medical” health also are analyzed for commonalities and differences between them.