engleski

Health-risk behaviours in objective and subjective health among Croatians aged 50 and older

Recent data indicate that self-rated health among Croatians is substantially lower, and the gender gap more pronounced, than EU28 data. Thus, our study aims to test the sex-specific associations of health-risk behaviours, in addition to economic, social and psychological characteristics, with subjective and objective health in the Croatian population aged 50 and older. We used the Croatian Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement (SHARE) Wave 6, a cross- sectional dataset of 2, 436 individuals (1, 085 men and 1, 351 women). The logistic regression analyses were performed on health-risk behaviours (nutrition, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption), together with the selected socioeconomic variables and the quality of life scale (CASP-12). The study revealed the importance of vigorous physical activity and the CASP score as being consistently relevant for objective and subjective health in both sexes. Several other variables displayed sex-specific effects, e.g. moderate physical activity and body mass index were important for women’s health only. Interestingly, the expected association of participants’ current smoking status, nutritional habits, and household income with health was not confirmed. Univariate associations of the majority of health-risk behaviours and health have disappeared from the multivariate model ; we have thus concluded that they are often a proximate reflection of underlying economic and psychosocial factors. Furthermore, our findings support the necessity of country-specific health-risk research since the relevance of particular health risks can be considered to be culturally specific.

SHARE, health-risk behaviour, self-rated health, socioeconomic status, quality of life

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