Demographic and clinical variations in health status

Researchers have developed a number of measures of health status that can be used to assess general levels of population health, to compare different sociodemographic groups, and to monitor the outcomes of clinical interventions. Using nationally representative data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), this report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality summarizes population differences using two generic measures: the SF-12(r) and the EuroQol. In general, groups defined by age and education showed the greatest variation in health status; differences by sex, race/ethnicity, and geographic location were relatively small. Persons diagnosed with diabetes, asthma, or hypertension had worse physical health status than those who did not have these conditions.