Do health behaviour and psychosocial risk factors explain the European east-west gap in health status?

Abstract

Background: Mortality rates are much more favourable in Western European countries than in those of Eastern Europe. Health behaviour and psychosocial factors have been suggested to be important contributors to East-West differences in mortality and health status.

Methods: To compare reported health status as well as health behaviours and psychosocial factors which may be related to unequal health status in different parts of Europe, standardised postal surveys of representative populations samples were conducted in six Eastern and Western European areas.

Results: Higher mortality in the eastern populations was associated with more reported morbidity and generally more negative health ratings. Health behaviours and psychosocial factors were also more negative in the East. Multivariate analyses suggested that the East-West difference in health status may be partly explained by differences in health behaviours and psychosocial factors.

Conclusion: Efforts to promote health in Eastern Europe should concentrate both on the promotion of healthier lifestyles and on improvement of social and economic conditions.