Relation of employment status, behavioral and social conditions on indivIDUal perception of health in a Region of Slovakia: Pilot study

Abstract

Background: The question of the health status of the unemployed in the Slovak Republic is a relatively unexplored area of study, in spite of the fact that the country has experienced one of the most consistently high unemployment rates among the 27 states of the EU. The aim of the pilot study was to identify the health and the other impacts of unemployment on the population in the region of Zvolen. Methods: two groups of respondents were studied: the long-term unemployed and a control group of the employed. The data was collected using the guided-interview questionnaire procedure. A total of 214 respondents were observed out of which 107 were from the long-term unemployed group and 107 from the control group. There were 83 male (38.8%) and 131 female respondents (61.2%). The average age of the group was 36.0 (CI95% = 33.8-38.3). Results: Using logistic regression, it was established that the chances of finding a job were 1.08 times greater in cases of a higher level of education (OR = 1.08, CI95% = 1.04-1.12, P ≤ 0,001). It was also established that smoking decreases the chances of finding employment by OR = 0.91 (CI95% = 0.83-0.98) times (P ≤ 0.01). People who are employed consume more alcohol attaining OR = 1.28 (CI95% = 1.21-1.35) compared to the unemployed (P ≤ 0.0001). Conclusion: The study proved that even with restricted resources it is possible to obtain credible results comparable with those achieved by more complex studies.