Self Health Assessments as per Family/Household Health Survey 2017: Exploring new avenues to improve health and health reporting in Saudi Arabia

Abstract Background: Public health data for dissemination and discussion in Saudi Arabia are limited but the new initiatives of General Authority of Statistics creates many national surveys. One of the most recent one, the Family/Household Health Survey - 2017 aims to fill the gaps in health information data on many population and health indicators. This research aims at appraising the self-assessed health and to examine age-sex and geographic differentials and the probable interconnections with chronic diseases, injuries and periodic examinations.Data and Methods: The National Family/Household Health Survey conducted in October-December, 2017 covered both Saudi and non-Saudi households from 13 administrative areas through a random sample procedure involving primary sampling units and secondary sampling units. A portion of the published data on self-assessment of health, chronic diseases, injuries, and periodic medical examinations were analyzed. Results: More than half of the persons in the Kingdom, reportedly, are in good health; more so among females than males: their proportions decreased with age up to 40 years and thereafter increased sharply. However, the major regions have lesser proportion of good health people than the others. On the contrary, the prevalence of chronic diseases increases with age, in both general and Saudi population, but with variations across specific diseases – hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases: there are pertinent geographic differentials. On the other hand, there are injuries (from traffic accidents and others) occurred at house, work/school, public place, and other places; pertinent with geographic variations. Moreover, age, sex, and regional differences in periodic health examinations have a contributing effect on health assessments. Moreover, the median age shows a pattern resembling adults assessing good health; chronic diseases after 50s; injuries before 40s; periodic medical examinations in 50s; with females at a lower age, both in general and Saudi population. Discussions and Conclusions: The national health system played an important role not only in health status and health assessments but also in building confidence and trust and thereby enhancing optimism, realism, recognition, self-awareness, and acceptance of physical condition. Thus, age, sex, and regional variations in health assessment are born out of chronic diseases, injuries, and periodic medical examinations and also of expectations and experiences. Generation of such information, effective dissemination, and regular discussions at various levels followed by in-depth analyses raise health and health care.