Last update:
16-Sep-2021

OBJECTIVE Το investigate the use of health services of the unemployed population in Greece and to record their unmet health needs.

METHOD A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Employment Promotion Centers of the Manpower Employment Organization in Attica. From a simple random sample of 1,000 unemployed persons invited to take part in the study, 830 participated (response rate 83%). The data were collected from June 2016 to September 2017, using a structured questionnaire that included the use and access to health services, and self-assessment of health status in the last 12 months. Statistical analysis of the data was conducted with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 25.0.

RESULTS The majority of the unemployed population consisted of women, with a mean age of 35.8±10.3 years. Of the respondents, 32.3% reported a monthly net income before unemployment of from 1,001 € to 1,500 €, while during unemployment this percentage decreased to 20.4% (p=0.001). Short-term and long-term unemployment was reported by 71.8% and 28.2%, respectively. The health status of the unemployed showed difference before (mean score 85) and during unemployment (mean score 68.3) (p=0.001). Most unemployed people chose public facilities for their medical care, hospitalization and preventive examinations, and private providers for dental care and mental health services. Unemployed people with children (p=0.006) and high-income respondents (p=0.017) were more likely to have visited health services in the preceding 12 months. Although 42.4% reported unmet health needs, only 15.1% reported use of social/community free health services, while 14.3% were not aware of the existence of such services. Unmet health needs were more likely to be reported by those who were aged ≥41 years (p=0.001), had completed compulsory education (p=0.001), with net monthly income ≤1,500 € (p=0.001), and those in long-term unemployment (p=0.001).

CONCLUSIONS Unemployed people choose public health services for their emergency health needs, and preventive examinations are not a priority for them. Private health services are selected mainly for their dental care and mental health needs. Approximately half of the sample of unemployed reported unmet health needs. It is, therefore, considered appropriate to build an integrated network of health and social care services and to promote the synergy and continuous feedback between labor organizations and the services for meeting the needs of the unemployed population.

Key words: Unemployed population, Unmet needs, Use of health services.