Department of Management, Marketing and Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Craiova, Craiova, Romania.
Department of Economics, Accounting and International Business, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Craiova, Craiova, Romania.
Front Public Health. 2024 Mar 11;12:1287608. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1287608. eCollection 2024.
Health status and access to healthcare services are crucial factors that directly impact the well-being of individuals and societies. In the European Union (EU), social protection measures are significant in supporting citizens' health and providing access to healthcare resources.
This study investigates the relationship between social protection and health status in EU countries. We collected data from Eurostat on the EU member states' health status, healthcare expenditure, and social protection expenditure. The paper used structural equation modeling (SEM) and cluster analysis to analyze the complex interplay among these variables.
Findings revealed a strong positive correlation between EU countries' social protection expenditure and healthcare status. Higher social protection spending was associated with improved access to healthcare services and facilities. Moreover, the analysis showed that countries with higher social protection expenditure tended to exhibit better overall health status indicators among their populations.
The results suggest that adequate social protection expenditure positively influences health status in the European Union. By investing in robust social protection programs, governments can enhance citizens' access to healthcare services and resources, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of prioritizing social protection policies to address health disparities and promote public health in the EU.
健康状况和获得医疗保健服务的机会是直接影响个人和社会福祉的关键因素。在欧盟（EU），社会保护措施对于支持公民健康和提供医疗保健资源至关重要。
本研究调查了欧盟国家社会保护与健康状况之间的关系。我们从欧盟统计局收集了有关欧盟成员国健康状况、医疗保健支出和社会保护支出的数据。本文使用结构方程模型（SEM）和聚类分析来分析这些变量之间的复杂相互作用。
研究结果表明，欧盟国家的社会保护支出与医疗保健状况之间存在很强的正相关关系。较高的社会保护支出与改善医疗保健服务和设施的可及性相关。此外，分析表明，社会保护支出较高的国家其人口的总体健康状况指标往往更好。
结果表明，充足的社会保护支出对欧盟的健康状况有积极影响。通过投资于稳健的社会保护计划，政府可以提高公民获得医疗保健服务和资源的机会，从而最终改善健康结果。这些发现强调了优先考虑社会保护政策的重要性，以解决欧盟的健康差距并促进公共卫生。
