Assessing Capacity for Self-Care among the Aged

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Abstract
Data drawn from the Supplement on Aging (SOA) to the 1984 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were used to identify correlates of older persons' assessments of their capacity to provide self-care. The SOA data set consists of responses, based on personal interviews with 16,148 persons 55 years of age and older. Most assessed their capacity to care for themselves in positive terms; only 11% assessed their capacity to provide self-care as fair or poor. Based on stepwise regression, self-reported health status and perceived control of health accounted for approximately 15% of the 17% of variation explained in the dependent variable. The Health Belief Model may provide a theoretical context in which to understand better the self-care component of the health-care continuum.

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