Do subjective health measures predict cognitive and physical health among older adults globally?

The aim of this study is to identify the relation between mental and physical subjective and physical health measures across countries. Self-reported health measures are commonly used in ageing surveys, although its problems with respect to the accuracy of self-reported measures are known. These may be explained by cross-cultural differences in response styles. Recent ageing surveys are used to compare objective and subjective health (both mental and physical) for more than 20 countries all over the world. Here, samples of those aged 50 and above were asked about self-reported physical and mental health.
Each respondent had to assess ones general health and ones perceived memory function. Additionally, each interviewee was visited by health personnel, who measured grip strength, lung function and blood pressure as well as BMI and the waist-hip-ratio. Finally, cognitive performance tests, including memory tests, were conducted.