The Affect of Behavioral Risk Factors on Healthcare System Performance

Abstract

Behavioural risk factors are known to have an impact on countries' health system performance. Behavioral risk factors include habits such as alcohol consumption, smoking, and patterns of food consumption which might lead to different types of obesity among different age groups in every community. In the context of OECD countries, this study aims at investigating whether behavioral risk factors have an impact on healthcare system performance or not. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and then Ordinary Least Squares Regression (OLS) was utilized to bring into the open the factors that affect health performance scores of OECD countries. In OLS, the obtained health performance score was utilized as a dependent variable and alcohol and tobacco consumption and obesity rate were utilized as independent variables. According to the OLS results, The only variable that has a statistically significant effect on the health performance scores of OECD countries is the alcohol consumption rate. To reduce health expenditures and improve health system performance, OECD countries need to develop more effective, macro and micro, level policies to eliminate the negative effects of behavioral risk factors. Such policies might include health awareness campaigns and more strict taxing policies upon the risk factor products, in addition to increasing community-based healthcare services.