Health production function for elderlies: the European case

Abstract

Objective: Estimate a health production function for elderly people over 50 living in 14 European countries. Methods: Using the database Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) (2012) by estimations of Probit sought to understand the relationship between the variables analyzed in the study of the health status of the elderly population and its implications for public policy formulation. Results: It was found that the fact of being a foreigner, the number of chronic diseases, smoking, the number of medical consultations in the last 12 months, the alcohol related problems are negatively related to good health. In contrast, it was found that the natural logarithm of income, physical activity, years of study, the consumption of fruits, the fact of carrying out the three daily meals, and participation in social activities have an increased likelihood of good health. It was also observed that the marital status in the case, the fact of being married is not sta[1]tistically significant in the model applied as well as the age and gender (being female or male) does not influence the probability of good health. Conclusion: The indicators that were more robust explanation for the production of health of the elderly were: physical activity, participation in social activities and problems with alcohol. With regard to education, there is clear evidence of improvement in health status when the level of education is higher, which also influences the income, and often the decision to invest in health.