Analysis of Self-reported Health in Areas with Different Air Quality in the Czech Republic

Subjectively reported health is an often-used indicator of objective health status with a relatively high conformity. The aim of the study was to analyse self-reported health and health disorders in two areas with different air quality in the Czech Republic. The questionnaire survey data was used for the analysis. The survey was conducted in two regions with completely different levels of air quality—the agglomeration burdened by heavy and coal mining industry (Moravian-Silesian Region), the other region as the centre of the agricultural area (South Bohemian Region). Between regions, health status differences were assessed and controlled for gender, age, and education. The statistical analyses employed logistic regression (the significance level of 5%) using the SW Stata v.17. In total, 3247 questionnaires were analysed. Only 5.8% of middle-aged respondents reported fair or poor health status. Significantly poorer subjective health was reported by the respondents in the industrial region (p ˂ 0.001), and this relationship remained significant (OR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.21–1.59) also after adjustment for sex, age, and education. The specific diseases (out of 21) were significantly more pronounced for asthma (OR = 1.31; 95% CI: 1.03–1.66), high blood pressure (OR = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.03–1.50), and cholesterol level (OR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.03–1.54) in polluted region as resulted from adjusted models. The study results confirmed poorer subjective health status, higher prevalence of asthma, high blood pressure, and cholesterol level in the industrial/polluted area comparing with the non-industrial/control area in the Czech Republic.