Health and socio-economic environment in Portugal

Abstract

This article presents a summary analysis of the health status and related socio-environmental characteristics of the Portuguese population. Although there exist important contributions to the theme, the present article differs from them in three important respects: it uses extensively information taken from the 1987 National Health Interview Survey; explicitly situates health production activities, beyond those associated with the consumption of health care, in the european context; and pays particular attention to the factors which affect socio-economic inequity in the field of the health. The article is divided into two main sections. In the first, a comparative analysis of the underlying characteristics of Portuguese society which determine the production of health and provision of health care is carreid out. In the second, the health situation of the Portuguese population is discussed, drawing on mortality and morbidity data. The conclusion which arises is of a sector in transition, whose future constitutes an enormous challenge to policy-makers, providers, administrators and researchers aiming to make it more efficient, effective and equitable.