Does poor subjective wellbeing as measured by standard instruments reflect the presence of a medical problem? Evidence from the Women’s Health Study of Accra, Ghana

There is a long standing debate on whether measures of subjective wellbeing are an adequate reflection of objectively assessed health states among a population. This question has not previously been empirically examined in Ghana. Using a representative sample of women aged 20 through 85 years from the second wave of the Women’s Health Study of Accra (WHSA II) conducted in 2008/2009, the study seeks to address this issue by investigating the strengths of a woman assessing her own subjective health as poor compared with her objectively assessed health outcomes after controlling for other covariates. The study employs descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis to describe the general health situation among urban women in Accra. The results show that 31.7% and nearly one-fifth of women in Accra are living with a chronic condition or hypertensive. The bivariate analysis also showed that a higher proportion who assessed their subjective health as poor were having a medical condition.
Although, subjective health measures can be employed to supplement objectively assessed health outcomes as surveys cover a wider population; its influence is mixed. Subjective health measures are not substitute for medical examination; they provide simple and inexpensive ways of identifying people at risk of chronic morbidity and mortality.