Impact of economic crisis and other demographic and socio-economic factors on self-rated health in Greece
Top Cited Papers
Open Access
- 23 October 2012
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in European Journal of Public Health
- Vol. 23 (2), 206-210
- https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cks143
Abstract
Background: Financial crisis and worsened socio-economic conditions are associated with greater morbidity, less utilization of health services and deteriorated population’s health status. The aim of the present study was to investigate the determinants of self-rated health in Greece. Methods: Two national cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2006 and 2011 were combined, and their data were pooled giving information for 10 572 individuals. The sample in both studies was random and stratified by gender, age, degree of urbanization and geographic region. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the impact of several factors on self-rated health. Results: Poor self-rated health was most common in older people, unemployed, pensioners, housewives and those suffering from chronic disease. Men, individuals with higher education and those with higher income have higher probability to report better self-rated health. Furthermore, the probability of reporting poor self-rated health is higher at times of economic crisis. Conclusion: Our findings confirm the association of self-rated health with economic crisis and certain demographic and socio-economic factors. Given that the economic recession in Greece deepens, immediate and effective actions targeting health inequalities and improvements in health status are deemed necessary.Keywords
This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit:
- Health effects of financial crisis: omens of a Greek tragedyThe Lancet, 2011
- The International Monetary Fund's Effects on Global Health: Before and after the 2008 Financial CrisisInternational Journal of Health Services, 2009
- The public health effect of economic crises and alternative policy responses in Europe: an empirical analysisThe Lancet, 2009
- What do people think about breasts and breast feeding?BMJ, 2009
- Socio-economic status and overall and cause-specific mortality in SwedenBMC Public Health, 2008
- International Monetary Fund Programs and Tuberculosis Outcomes in Post-Communist CountriesPLoS Medicine, 2008
- Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health in 22 European CountriesThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2008
- Dichotomous or categorical response? Analysing self-rated health and lifetime social classInternational Journal of Epidemiology, 2000
- The effect of unemployment on mental healthJournal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 1999
- The Economic Crisis and its Impact on Health and Health Care in Latin America and the CaribbeanInternational Journal of Health Services, 1987