Table 1.
Variable description
| Variables | Description | Ø (N = 2851) |
|---|---|---|
| Dependent variables | ||
| Total OOP payments | total amount of OOP payments in Euro | 215.15 |
| Financial burden | Percentage of OOP payment expenses on available income | 0.012 |
| Forgone care | Relinquishment of health care services (yes = 1; no = 0) | 0.056 |
| Independent variables | ||
| Socio-demographic factors | ||
| Age | 67.32 | |
| Age: 50-59 | Age between 50–59 years = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.35 |
| Age: 60-69 | Age between 60–69 years = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.39 |
| Age: 70-79 | Age between 70–79 years = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.19 |
| Age ≥ 80 | Age ≥ 80 = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.07 |
| Men | Gender: male = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.47 |
| Ability to pay | ||
| Income | in thousands of Euros | 23.7 |
| 1. Quintile | if income < 13.176 € = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.2 |
| 2. Quintile | if income between 13.177 € - 19.651 € = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.2 |
| 3. Quintile | if income between 19.652 € - 29.423 € =1; otherwise = 0 | 0.2 |
| 4. Quintile | if income between 29.424 € - 50.634 € = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.2 |
| 5. Quintile | if income > 50.635 € = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.2 |
| Health status | ||
| 1-2 chronic diseases1 | suffering from 1–2 chronic diseases = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.52 |
| ≥3 chronic diseases | suffering from ≥3 chronic diseases = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.2 |
| 1-2 acute health problems2 | suffering from 1–2 acute health problems = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.5 |
| ≥ 3 acute health problems | suffering from ≥ 3 acute health problems =1; otherwise = 0 | 0.83 |
| Depressive symptoms3 | >3 depressive symptoms = 1; ≤ 3 depressive symptoms = 0 | 0.27 |
| ADL4 | ≥1 limitation in activities of daily living (ADL) = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.09 |
| SAH < good5 | if self-assessed health is fair, bad or very bad = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.44 |
| Education and health insurance | ||
| Low education6 | for ISCED-values between 0–2 = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.18 |
| Intermediate education | for ISCED-values between 3–4 = 1; otherwise = 0 | 0.56 |
| SHI | for persons with statutory health insurance (SHI) = 1; for privately insured = 0 | 0.89 |
1selectable from a list of 14 chronic diseases 2selectable from a list of 12 acute health problems 3selectable from the EURO-D scale which consists of 12 depression symptoms. A score of greater than three symptoms is regarded as a cut-off point for a clinically significant depression. 4selectable from a list of 6 activities of daily living (ADL) such as showering or dressing 5self-assessed health (SAH) measured on a scale from 1 = very good to 5 = very bad 6educational levels are measured by the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) by the UNESCO. ISCED values range from 0 = pre-primary education to 6 = second stage of tertiary education.