A panel data approach of income-related health inequalities among the 50+ in Sweden

Abstract: This thesis examines income-related health inequalities among an elderly population over time in Sweden. The concentration indices are estimated and decomposed for two time periods in order to uncover which socioeconomic variables determine the level of health inequality in Sweden. The determinants of health are estimated using a panel data fixed effects model, hence allowing for a comparison of health inequality over time. Two waves of data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) are used, and parallel analyses are performed for Denmark, France and Germany to check the robustness of the Swedish results. The results suggest that while income-related health inequalities are present, none of the included socioeconomic variables seem to have a considerable impact on income-related health inequalities for the elderly in Sweden. This result is confirmed by similar results obtained from identical analyses of France and Germany.