ABSTRACT
From a holistic perspective, perceived health (PH) is a crucial component of the concept of health status, conveying an overall valuation of the illness by the individual. There is clear evidence that PH ratings can predict survival, even after adjusting by the presence of disease severity and risk factors. PH is one of the components of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL). A number of definitions of HRQL have been proposed. Chronic diseases have an important negative influence on people's own perception of health. Physical conditions were assessed with a standard chronic conditions checklist that asked respondents if they had ever suffered from the given physical health condition, if they had the condition in the past 12 months, and if they had received any treatment. Disability was assessed with a modified version of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0.
