The Health Status of the Elderly Greeks and the Effect of the Economic Crisis

Abstract

Abstract Due to the economic crisis in Greece, effects on health status of the population have been reported in several studies. Few publications have examined the role of socio-economic factors on health status. In this study, we extensively presented the health status of the elderly aged over 65 with respect to socio-demographic determinants, before and after the economic crisis, a topic which remains quite unexplored. We used the health surveys microdata conducted by the ELSTAT in two waves, 2009 and 2014. Among a sample of 2028 elderly in wave 1 and 2699 in wave 2 was found a considerable decline in in-patient hospitalization after the economic crisis and the examined chronic diseases were increased. Women most reported depression and hypertension, while diabetes was mostly increased in men. Depression, stroke and diabetes were significantly increased in respondents 85+ after the financial crisis. The results show that the health status of the elderly worsened due to the economic crisis in Greece. Keywords: Health status, Elderly, Economic crisis.