Abstract not found

In this paper we employ the tool of “anchoring vignettes ” to understand whether and how women and men living in different regions of Europe differently report levels in a number of health components or domains. We propose a model for correcting interpersonal incomparability of self-assessed variables which allows for potential correlation among the answers given by the same respondent to self-assessment of health on different domains by including a random individual effect common to all domains. After applying this model to the SHARE data, we find that vignettes help narrow gender and regional differences in self-assessment of health, although these differences are not entirely eliminated. Our results suggest that differences in response style should be taken into account when using self-assessment of health in socio-economic studies.

Abstract not found

Self-assessed health (SAH) is a frequently used measure of individuals ‟ health status. It is also prone to reporting heterogeneity. To control for reporting heterogeneity valid measures of the objective health status are needed. The topic becomes even more complex for cross-country comparisons, as many key variables tend to vary strongly across countries, influenced by cultural and institutional differences. This study aims at exploring the key drivers for reporting heterogeneity in SAH in an international context. To this end, country specific effects are accounted for and the objective health measure is concretized, separating out effects of mental and physical health conditions. We use panel data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) which provides a rich dataset on the elderly European population. To obtain distinct indicators for physical and mental health conditions two indices were constructed. Finally, to identify potential reporting heterogeneity in SAH a generalized ordered probit model is estimated. We find evidence that health behaviour as well as health care utilization, mental

Recent evidence and development of a shorter version. Clin

Abstract: Promoting social participation of the older population (e.g. membership in voluntary associations) is often seen as a promising strategy for ‘healthy ageing ’ in Europe. Although a growing body of academic literature challenges the idea that the link between social participation and health is well established, some statistical evidence suggest a robust positive relationship may exist for older people. One reason could be that aged people have more time to take part in social activities (due to retirement, fewer familial constraints, etc.); so that such involvement in voluntary associations contributes to maintain network size for social and emotional support; and preserves individuals ’ cognitive capacities. Using SHARE data for respondents aged fifty and over in 2004, this study proposes to test these hypotheses by evaluating the contribution of social participation to self-reported health (SRH) in eleven European countries. The probability to report good or very good health is calculated for the whole sample (after controlling for age, education, income and household composition) using regression coefficients estimated for individuals who do and for those who do not take part in social activities (with correction for selection bias in these two cases). Counterfactual national levels of SRH are derived from integral computation of cumulative distribution functions of the predicted probability thus obtained. The analysis

Abstract This paper outlines the main findings of an extensive exploratory study into people's views of the relationships between health and fitness. The research identified that health and fitness differ on at least six dimensions. Three areas of overlap are also examined. The implications are discussed separately for health and fitness, and then together in relation to health education. The paper concludes that health education should adopt a more positive educational approach which could be achieved by divorcing itself from the medical model and promoting the idea of emotional well-being.

What are the methodological issues related to measuring health and drawing comparisons across countries?

We investigate the relationship between ageing, cognitive abilities and retirement using the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), a household panel that offers the possibility of comparing several European countries using nationally representative samples of the population aged 50+. The human capital framework suggests that retirement may cause an increase in cognitive decline, since after retirement individuals lose the market incentive to invest in cognitive repair activities. Our empirical results, based on an instrumental variable strategy to deal with the potential endogeneity of retirement, confirm this key prediction. They also indicate that education plays a fundamental role in explaining heterogeneity in the level of cognitive abilities.

The working papers published in the Series constitute work in progress circulated to stimulate discussion and critical comments. Views expressed represent exclusively the authors ’ own opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors. Ruhr Economic Papers #153