The Impact of Unmet Healthcare Needs on the Perceived Health Status of Older Europeans During COVID-19.

IF 2.6 3区医学 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

International Journal of Public Health Pub Date : 2024-09-30 eCollection Date: 2024-01-01 DOI:10.3389/ijph.2024.1607336

Šime Smolić, Nikola Blaževski, Margareta Fabijančić

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives: To examine how unmet healthcare needs and the exposure to the pandemic impacted self-reported health (SRH) among individuals aged 50 and above.

Methods: We use data from two waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Corona Survey collected in 2020 and 2021 in 27 European countries and Israel (N = 42,854). Three dimensions of barriers to healthcare access were investigated: healthcare forgone, postponed, and denied. Mixed-effects logistic regression analysis was employed to explore SRH deterioration during the pandemic.

Results: Findings indicate that unmet healthcare needs decreased throughout the pandemic but significantly contributed to the worsening of SRH among older adults. Mild or severe exposure to the pandemic heightened the likelihood of reporting deteriorated SRH. Additionally, the pandemic disproportionately affected females, the oldest-old, and those living alone or facing economic vulnerability.

Conclusion: To mitigate the adverse effects on the health status of older adults, policymakers are strongly advised to prioritize addressing the healthcare needs of those who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

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在 COVID-19 期间，未满足的医疗保健需求对欧洲老年人感知健康状况的影响。

目的研究未满足的医疗保健需求和大流行对 50 岁及以上人群自我健康报告（SRH）的影响：我们使用了 2020 年和 2021 年在 27 个欧洲国家和以色列收集的两次欧洲健康、老龄和退休调查（SHARE）Corona 调查的数据（N = 42854）。调查从三个方面探讨了获得医疗保健的障碍：放弃、推迟和拒绝医疗保健。采用混合效应逻辑回归分析来探讨大流行期间性健康和生殖健康状况的恶化：研究结果表明，在整个大流行期间，未得到满足的医疗保健需求有所减少，但在很大程度上导致了老年人性健康和生殖健康状况的恶化。轻度或严重的大流行会增加报告性健康和生殖健康状况恶化的可能性。此外，大流行对女性、最年长者、独居者或经济脆弱者的影响尤为严重：为减轻对老年人健康状况的不利影响，强烈建议政策制定者优先满足受大流行病影响过大的人群的医疗保健需求。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Public Health 医学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生

CiteScore

4.20

自引率

2.20%

发文量

269

审稿时长

12 months

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Public Health publishes scientific articles relevant to global public health, from different countries and cultures, and assembles them into issues that raise awareness and understanding of public health problems and solutions. The Journal welcomes submissions of original research, critical and relevant reviews, methodological papers and manuscripts that emphasize theoretical content. IJPH sometimes publishes commentaries and opinions. Special issues highlight key areas of current research. The Editorial Board''s mission is to provide a thoughtful forum for contemporary issues and challenges in global public health research and practice.