title: Health protection in times of economic crisis: challenges and opportunities for Europe.
abstract: STOA, the European Parliament's technology assessment body, and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies recently organised a workshop on the impacts of the economic crisis on European health systems. Evidence of the impact of the recent financial crisis on health outcomes is only just beginning to emerge. Data suggests that this latest recession has led to more frequent poor health status, rising incidence of some communicable diseases, and higher suicide rates. Further, available data are likely to underestimate the broader mental health crisis linked to increased rates of stress, anxiety, and depression among the economically vulnerable. Not only does recession affect factors that determine health, but it also affects the financial capacity to respond. Many European governments have reduced public expenditure on health services during the financial crisis, while introducing or increasing user charges. The recession has driven structural reforms, and has affected the priority given to public policies that could be used to help protect population health. The current economic climate, while challenging, presents an opportunity for reforming and restructuring health promotion actions and taking a long-term perspective.
authors.affiliation: LSE Health and Social Care and European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McDaid
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Quaglio
authors.forename: António
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Correia de Campos
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dario
authors.forename: Lieve
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Woensel
authors.forename: Theodoros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karapiperis
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reeves
mesh_terms: D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D057172:Economic Recession; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006291:Health Policy / Q000639:trends*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D011634:Public Health; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data