The Interplay between Public Health, Well-Being and Population Aging in Europe: An Advanced Structural Equation Modelling and Gaussian Network Approach

Mirela Cristea, Graţiela Georgiana Noja, Cecilia-Nicoleta Jurcuţ, Constantin Ştefan Ponea, Elena Sorina Caragiani and Alin Viorel Istodor
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Mirela Cristea: Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Finance, Banking and Economic Analysis, University of Craiova, 200585 Craiova, Romania
Graţiela Georgiana Noja: Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Marketing and International Economic Relations, West University of Timisoara, 300115 Timisoara, Romania
Cecilia-Nicoleta Jurcuţ: Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Management, West University of Timisoara, 300115 Timisoara, Romania
Constantin Ştefan Ponea: Faculty of Legal, Economic and Administrative Sciences, Department of Economics, Spiru Haret University, 200580 Craiova, Romania
Elena Sorina Caragiani: Faculty of Economic and Business Administration, Doctoral School of Economics, University of Craiova, 200585 Craiova, Romania
Alin Viorel Istodor: First Department of Surgery, Second Discipline of Surgical Semiology, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Given the COVID-19 pandemic crisis that has deeply affected the health and well-being of people worldwide, the main objective of this paper was to explore the existing relationship between health, welfare, and population aging until the pandemic burst, on the basis of two distinctive groups of European Union (EU) countries, namely, the old and the new member states. The methodological endeavor was based on two advanced econometric techniques, namely, structural equation modelling and network analysis through Gaussian graphical models, applied for each group of EU countries, analyzed during the period of 1995–2017. The main results revealed significant differentiation among the new and old EU countries as follows: public health support was found to have a positive impact on healthy aging and well-being of older people, on other social determinants, and on people’s perceived good and very good health; overall, significant influences were revealed in terms of the aging dimensions. The main implications of our findings relate to other researchers as a baseline comparison with the existing situation before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, but also to policymakers that have to rethink the public health allocations, both in old and new EU member states, in order to endorse the aging credentials, underpinning a successful and healthy integration of the elderly within all life dimensions.

Keywords: econometric modelling; health; aging; well-being; European Union (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:4:p:2015-:d:502082

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