b'HRS is used by scientists in the U.S. and around the world to try to answer key questions on how people can stay healthy as they age. We do this notOUR HEALTHonly by asking you questions about your health and health care but also by getting direct measures of your health through physical measures, blood, and saliva tests. All of this information is important andInformation you provide about will be used to help people to live healthier andyour health helps us understand longer in the years ahead. more about the problems many of us face as we age.Accuracy of Self-rated HealthOur personal reports of general health, what we call self-rated health, provide valuable information. Self-rated health turns out to be a pretty accurate indicator of our actual health. Similarly, how long we expect to live also turns out to be associated with how long we actually live.12 Self-Rated Health in 2018Takeaway33% 33% More than 40% of people over age 50 report being in very good or excellent health19%9%6%ExcellentVery GoodGoodFairPoorSource: HRS, 2018 9'