Socioeconomic inequalities at the place of death: evidence for Europe based on SHARE data

Abstract

The place of death is considered an indicator of the quality of the end of life and can have consequences for the organization of the care received in the last stage of life. Many factors can influence the place of death of individuals, including socioeconomic factors. This research aims to explore the inequalities related to the place of death for the European population aged over 50 years. The data for this analysis were collected from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. Place of death (home vs. other) was chosen as the outcome variable and the following variables were selected to measure individuals’ socioeconomic status: equivalent individual income; level of education; and inheritance at the time of death. A logistic statistical model was adopted and the odds-ratio for death at home vs. other were described and interpreted. Around 34.3% of deaths in Europe occurred at home, and the remaining 65.7% occurred in an institution, usually a hospital. Bulgaria (73.5%) and Romania (68.9%) showed the most deaths at home. On the other hand, the countries least likely to die at home refer to Cyprus (10.9%) and Finland (15.4%). Individuals with lower incomes were more likely to die at home than those with higher incomes, and education failed to determine the place of death. Thus, this study found socioeconomic inequalities associated with income in the chances of dying at home.