[Micro data on the demand for care of dependent older people in Italy: A review of available sources]

Abstract

Objectives: to provide researchers and stakeholders with an overview of the statistical sources of micro data available for estimating and studying the demand for care for dependent older people in Italy.

Design: analysis of questionnaires and variable displays from statistical surveys conducted on the resident population in Italy, selecting datasets that: 1. include at least one question on non-self-sufficiency and the related demand for care; 2. allow to distinguish the population by age groups; 3. are conducted uniformly at the national level and are representative of the population residing in Italy at least at NUTS-1 (nomenclature of statistical territorial units) level of geographic detail; 4. have periodicity character at least for the last ten years (2014-2024); 5. are immediately available for micro-analysis.

Setting and participants: all statistical surveys carried out on the Italian population between 2014 and 2024 that meet the requirements of the survey design. The most recent questionnaire is taken into account.

Main outcomes measures: selected surveys and number of questions identified in the selected surveys related to 9 sets of variables useful for studying the demand for care among dependent older people, including analyses of associations and correlations.

Results: the review identified 8 statistical surveys that can provide useful information for estimating and studying the demand for care for dependent older people, consistent with the objectives and design of the study. Six of these surveys are conducted by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat) (EHIS, EU-SILC, IMF-AVQ, IMF-FSS, IMF-TUS, and ISF); two surveys are carried out by private consortia (ESS and SHARE). Not all groups of variables are simultaneously available in the datasets of the surveys considered, with the exception of the EHIS and SHARE surveys, but with severe limitations. In addition, some surveys allow regional statistics (NUTS-2), but none of them allow analyses at a more detailed territorial level.

Conclusions: no survey provides all the information useful for studying the demand for care of dependent older people, but sources have been identified which already allow demand to be estimated at sub-national level (NUTS-1 or NUTS-2) and correlations and associations with certain sets of variables to be investigated.

Keywords: Care; Dependent older people; Italy; Review; Statistical surveys.