The effect of the economic crisis on health in Spain according to educational level and employment status: Does the duration of the crisis also matter?

Jeroen Spijker; Jordi Gumà

doi:10.18294/sc.2018.1297

The effect of the economic crisis on health in Spain according to educational level and employment status: Does the duration of the crisis also matter?

Jeroen Spijker PhD in Spatial Sciences (Specialization in Demography). Ramón y Cajal Researcher, Centre for Demographic Studies, Bellaterra, Spain. , Jordi Gumà PhD in Demography. Juan de la Cierva Researcher en Demografía. Juan de la Cierva Researcher, Research and Expertise Centre for Survey Methodology, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.

Received: 11 February 2017, Accepted: 27 July 2017, Published: 16 December 2018

https://doi.org/10.18294/sc.2018.1297

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Abstract

The objective of this study is to explore the possible impact of the economic crisis on the health of the Spanish-born population not of retirement age (between 30 and 59 years). Specifically, using data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) for the years 2006, 2010 and 2014, we analyze differences in self-perceived health by socioeconomic profile and position occupied in the household. According to our results, the health of men and women show similar levels of association with certain factors (such as education) and different levels with others (women’s health is more sensitive to household income level while men’s is more sensitive to employment status). Finally, while substantial improvements in self-perceived health were observed during the first period in almost all socioeconomic groups, during the second period there was almost no change, and for the most disadvantaged men (inactive in the labor market and with low educational levels), health worsened.

Keywords: Economic recession, Impacts on health, Work, Education, Spain

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