Social Inequalities in Health of Ukrainian Population (Based on the European Social Survey, 2012)

Abstract

In present day Ukraine, as well as in the rest of the world, substantial health disparities across social groups are recorded, along with marked inequities in access to resources relevant to health seeking behavior. Regardless of the affluence of a nation and despite the considerable technological progress in science and medical technology, inequalities in health persist on the global scale. More recent research stresses the negative influences of social inequality in health and its pernicious effects on social epidemiology of various diseases. The empirical findings further indicate that poor health prevents individuals from fulfilling their rights thus solidifying the existing pattern of social inequality. Altogether it makes health disparities an applied problem of international significance. The foundation of the present publication is laid by the analysis of the effect of social inequality on health of Ukrainian population aged 18–65 (based on 2012 the European Social Survey data set (N = 2,178) using SPSS software). Our findings are in agreement with the tendencies outlined by the published research on health disparities. Namely, we demonstrate that subjective individual health status is higher in individuals with college degrees than in high school graduates; hired workers have poorer subjective general health than business owners; individuals satisfied with their income have better general health than those who are dissatisfied with their income; age is the most potent predictor of general health in the data. We further discuss the findings in the context of relevant policies in Ukraine.