Table 1.
Sample characteristics of the individuals included in the FE regressions (waves 2–4, pooled)
| Hospitalization (N = 2186) | GP visits (N = 6586) | Specialist visits (N = 7068) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time constant variables (not included as independent variables in FE regressions) | Female: N (%) | 999 (45.7) | 3188 (48.4) | 3408 (48.2) |
| Low education (ISCED-97; 0–2): N (%) | 175 (8.3) | 462 (7.3) | 481 (7.1) | |
| Medium education (ISCED-97; 3–4): N (%) | 1130 (53.5) | 3293 (51.9) | 3463 (50.8) | |
| High education (ISCED-97; 5–6): N (%) | 809 (38.3) | 2595 (40.9) | 2872 (42.1) | |
| Predisposing factors | Married, living together with spouse: N (%) | 1624 (74.3) | 4931 (74.9) | 5290 (74.8) |
| Working: N (%) | 612 (28.0) | 2419 (36.7) | 2615 (37.0) | |
| Retired: N (%) | 1345 (61.5) | 3406 (51.7) | 3638 (51.5) | |
| Other: not employed: N (%) | 229 (10.5) | 761 (11.6) | 815 (11.5) | |
| Age (in years): mean (SD) | 65.1 (10.8) | 63 (11.0) | 63 (11.0) | |
| Enabling resources | Monthly equivalent net income in Euro: mean (SD) | 1734.6 (1436.6) | 1728.7 (1436.1) | 1786.2 (1636.9) |
| Enough doctors and pharmacies: N (%) | 1849 (84.6) | 5456 (82.8) | 5891 (83.4) | |
| Need factors | Underweight: N (%) | 20 (0.9) | 42 (0.6) | 45 (0.6) |
| Normal weight: N (%) | 742 (33.9) | 2431 (36.9) | 2665 (37.7) | |
| Overweight: N (%) | 982 (44.9) | 2828 (42.9) | 3021 (42.7) | |
| Obesity: N (%) | 442 (20.2) | 1285 (19.5) | 1337 (18.9) | |
| Self-rated health (from 1 = “very good” to 5 = “very bad”): mean (SD) | 2.6 (0.8) | 2.4 (0.8) | 2.4 (0.8) | |
| Number of chronic diseases: mean (SD) | 2.9 (1.9) | 2.4 (1.8) | 2.4 (1.8) | |
| Currently smoking: N (%) | 338 (15.5) | 1086 (16.5) | 1157 (16.4) | |
| Volunteering | Voluntary work in groups and organisations: N (%) | 419 (19.2) | 1390 (21.1) | 1503 (21.3) |
Notes: The numbers in the variable educational status do not sum up to 2186 / 6586 / 7068 due to missing values
GP = General practitioner, ISCED = International Standard Classification of Education, SD = Standard deviation