ECONOMIC CRISIS, SOCIO-ECONOMIC INEQUALITIES AND HEALTH OUTCOMES

This paper aims at analysing the relationship between economic crisis, socio-economic inequalities and health outcomes. In order to identify the factors associated with life expectancy at birth, as health outcome, and to analyse the crisis effects we performed several comparative and statistical analyses for 2007 (before the crisis) and 2010 (during the crisis) data registered for 30 European countries. Two main factors associated with life expectancy at birth are identified namely, the share of health expenditure in GDP and the percentage of people at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion in total population. These findings point out the importance of investment in healthcare and in improving economic status.