This research project aims to understand how health and social policies can reduce social and life course inequalities in preventive healthcare practices during middle and early old age. Preventive practices, like cancer screening, are crucial for healthy aging, but inequalities in accessing these practices have remained persistent in high-income countries for decades.
The project will investigate two specific objectives:
- Impact of Health and Social Policies: The first objective is to examine how the characteristics and changes in health and social policies influence social inequalities in preventive healthcare practices. The study will also explore whether the impact of these policies is affected by the history of promoting preventive practices and the characteristics of the primary healthcare system in each country.
- Influences of Socio-Economic Conditions over the Life Course: The second objective focuses on understanding how socio-economic conditions at different stages of an individual's life course, as well as their employment and family life trajectories, affect their preventive healthcare practices. The study will also investigate whether the impact of these life course factors is influenced by a country's policies.
The ultimate goal of this research is to provide solid evidence that policies have the potential to reduce inequalities in preventive healthcare practices during middle and early old age. This information could be valuable for shaping future health and social policies to promote healthy aging and reduce disparities in healthcare access.
