The determinants of health among the population aged 50 and over: evidence from Croatia

The aim of this paper is to explore the association between demographic, socioeconomic and physical health variables and self-assessed health (SAH) of people aged 50 years and over in Croatia. Cross-sectional data was collected in 2012 in the survey "The Economics of Ageing in Croatia" that was based on the SHARE (Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe) study. Altogether 761 individuals aged 50 and over were included in the working sample that has been used in statistical analysis. Data were analysed in an ordered logistic regression model. The results show that females were more likely to report a higher category of SAH than males. Higher educational level was a statistically significant predictor of higher SAH, when controlled for other variables. This study, unlike other studies in Croatia, introduces a set of physical health variables as the determinants of health. Our results suggest that people aged 50 and over with fewer limitations, health related symptoms and diagnosed chronic conditions were more likely to report higher levels of SAH. These findings could be beneficial to policymakers in their efforts to improve health among elderly in Croatia.