| Abstract |
The data of the present study were drawn from the Study of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which took place in eleven countries of the European Union between April and September 2004. Interviews were carried out with almost 22.000 members of households in these countries, aiming at the investigation and the understanding of the interactions between psycho-social and economic factors that determine the quality of life of the elderly in Europe. The present study aims at the examination of the social and financial inequalities that are reflected in self-reported health, and in the use of health services in the study population in Greece. The specific objectives of this study are the correlation between demographic and socioeconomic factors with self-reported health and use of health services and the exploration of the relevant importance of these factors on selfreported health and use of health services. The study population consisted of a randomized sample of people that were born before the 1st January 1955 plus their spouses, independent of age. Interviews were carried out in 1502 households, from the 52 counties of the country, which comprised of 3255 members (of all ages), from which, 2142 respondents were included in the study. Self-reported health was found to be significantly related with the demographic (Age, Sex), social (Educational Level, Employment Status, Family Status, Size of Household, Living Arrangements, Activities Participation) and economic variables (Objective Financial Indicators, Self-reported Financial Progress, Indicator of Financial Capability, Index of Determination of Financial Resources, Category of Insurance Coverage). From the above indicators the most important in the determination of self-reported health were found to be educational level, activities participation, income and savings, car ownership, indicator of determination of financial resources and self-reported financial progress. Finally, the factor that contributes most to the determination of use of health services was found to be selfreported health. The findings of the above study are in accordance with those of the Greek and international literature in relation to the differences that exist in self-reported health and use of health services between different socio-economic groups. They therefore confirm the existence of social inequalities in health in the Greek population. This study confirms the necessity of taking a global approach to the issues that are related to the protection and promotion of health.
|
Ποιότητα ζωής και χρήση υπηρεσιών υγείας σε τυχαιοποιημένο δείγμα ατόμων άνω των πενήντα στην Ελλάδα
