Perceived health status of people from the central region of Colombia: National Health Survey, 2007

Objective: Determining perceived health status profiles for people aged 6 to 69 years old from the central region of Colombia, based on the 2007 National Health Survey. Method: The survey involved 18,683 people aged 6 to 69 years old from the central region of Colombia. Descriptive statistics and multiple correspondence analyses by sub-region were calculated. Significant variables (≤0.05 t-test) for constructing Cartesian plane factor axes were gender, age, educational level, residential area, ethnicity, morbid event reporting and self-perceived health status. Results: Three health status typologies were identified: perceived health corresponding to socio-demographic characteristics, morbid event reporting and residential area. People having a job or engaging in academic activities had better health status perception. Indigenous people living in rural areas reported injuries arising from an accident, violence and/or poisoning more frequently than white people living in urban areas. An educated woman had a more negative evaluation of their health status. Agreement was also found for a specific health profile and each sub-region being studied. Conclusions: Differences may have been due to self-care, social service access, geographic accessibility and cultural patterns regarding self-reported health status perception. Analyzing greater depth is needed.