Living without a partner, a risk factor in self-perceived health? Pilot cross-sectional study with a small group of adults in a municipality in Colombia

Abstract

Background: Self-perceived health is defined as the appreciation of own state of health. It is a multidimensional phenomenon in which variables such as psychological health, social capital and some sociodemographic factors act. Its estimation has become relevant in public health since it predicts indicators such as morbidity, mortality, and use of health services. The objective was to measure psychological health, social capital, and various so-ciodemographic factors in a group of adults and establish their probable association with self-perceived health. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out, between September and October 2021. An instrument with 52 questions on self-perceived health, social capital, psychological health, and some sociodemographic factors was applied. Data were analyzed using bivaria-te and multivariate methods in CIETmap software to determine the variables that had the greatest influence on self-perceived health. Results: In the sample, 80 % of the people considered their health status as good or very good, while 17 % stated that their health status is regular; 17 % of the sample are at high risk for emotional disorders and 57 % of those surveyed had good support networks. Fi-nally, it was estimated that the measure of association that presented the greatest risk in self-perceived health was living without a partner (OR=5.90). Conclusions: In the population studied, the factors associated with social capital and psychological well-being are associated with self-perceived health and living without a partner was a relevant factor. © 2024, Universidad del Norte. All rights reserved.