Where do we draw our last breath? A comparative analysis of factors associated with places of death in European countries

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Published: Oct 15, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59954/stnv.629
Keywords:
ageing, end-of-life care, long-term care, place of death, SHARE

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Leonarda Srdelic
Institute of Public Finance, Zagreb (Croatia)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4079-8198

Abstract

This paper investigates whether a shift towards formal long-term care (LTC), typically associated with increased public spending in LTC, correlates with a lower likelihood of dying in hospitals compared to homes or care homes. Additionally, the study aims to assess how demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related variables are associated with the place of death across European countries. For this purpose, the study employs multinomial logistic regression on the data concerning 16,633 individuals aged 50 and over, who died between 2004 and 2021 in 24 European countries. The countries are grouped in two country groups to control for variations in their LTC systems. The first group consists of countries with more generous public funding for LTC, while the second group includes those where LTC is less funded and structured. Results indicate that the place of death is associated with the country’s healthcare system, demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, and medical conditions. While hospitals remain the most common setting for death, this trend is shifting as recent years have seen a rise in deaths at home or in care homes across both country groups.

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How to Cite
Srdelic, L. (2024). Where do we draw our last breath? A comparative analysis of factors associated with places of death in European countries. Stanovnistvo. https://doi.org/10.59954/stnv.629
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Online First
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Copyright (c) 2024 Leonarda Srdelic

Published by the Institute of Social Sciences - Center for Demographic Research 

Author Biography

Leonarda Srdelic, Institute of Public Finance, Zagreb (Croatia)

Senior research assistant

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