To understand the current situation of self-rated health among older adults, to analyze the influence of good childhood traits on older adults' self-rated health, and to make suggestions for factors with high influence to promote the improvement of health in the whole society.

Using data from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS), select data for individuals aged≥60, with self-rated health as the dependent variable. Independent variables include age, gender, smoking, drinking, household registration, marital status, education levels, working status, medical insurance, health status before the age of 14, leadership spirit before the age of 14, and adventurous spirit before the age of 14. Employ the χ² test and binary logistic regression to analyze the influencing factors of self-rated health in the elderly. Additionally, use a random forest model to rank the importance of these influencing factors.

Smoking, drinking, higher education levels, being employed, good health status before the age of 14, good leadership spirit before the age of 14, and good adventurous spirit before the age of 14 all have OR values greater than 1 and P<0.05, suggesting they may be protective factors for elderly self-rated health. In contrast, being female and living in rural areas have OR values less than 1 and P<0.05, suggesting they may be risk factors for elderly self-rated health. The top three influencing factors are health status before the age of 14, leadership spirit, and adventurous spirit.

Childhood characteristics have a certain impact on health in old age. To promote the physical health of the elderly, we can improve the physical and mental health of children and cultivate their leadership and adventurous spirit.