The Influence of Socio-Economic Factors upon Public Health on the Example of Podkarpackie Voivodship

Abstract

This study concentrates on intraregional disparities in health and spatial distribution of socio-economic factors that may affect health outcomes. The example of Podkarpackie voivodship rural and urban areas provides viable evidence for at least the partial importance of socio-economic variables in explaining intraregional health disparities. A total of eight factors that influence hospitalization rate were distinguished for urban and rural areas. Global regression models were created using the socioeconomic factors, which succeeded in explaining a considerable amount of variation in hospitalization rates both in urban and rural areas. Unfortunately, these models failed to explain local health determinants and so more sophisticated statistical models are necessary in order to fully understand intraregional health disparities.