Assessment of the impact of socio-economic situation on health status of inhabitants in the European Union countries

Abstract

Good health status is a priority for citizens of each country and a precondition for economic prosperity. Significant differences in health status exist between European countries and regions. Health status and its supposed determinants are multidimensional categories, specified by a number of indicators. Health indicators based on reliable and mutually comparable data are a prerequisite for establishing and monitoring the implementation of strategies and policies aimed at improving Europeans’ health. The European Commission is currently publishing various sets of health indicators that are, and will continue to be, used and disseminated in order to achieve the targets set under the Europe 2020 Strategy. There is a number of major studies which have demonstrated a clear link between socio-economic background (such as income or occupation) and health. The goal of this article is to assess and quantify inequalities in health status of inhabitants depending on socio-economic situation in European union countries based on selected health, social and economic indicators by using multidimensional methods, namely factor and cluster analysis.