A study on developing a health index for international comparisons

The Health Index is instrumental in determining the status of a country's healthcare sector and assists regulatory authorities in evaluating the effectiveness of health policies. Additionally, it can be used to compare and improve health conditions between countries. The aim of this research is to develop a health index and ascertain its applicability in international comparisons. In this context, 51 different health indicators from 32 countries were classified under health determinants for the years 2000-2020, and sub-dimensions of the desired index were identified. By aggregating the standardized indicator values in each sub-dimension, health index scores were obtained, and findings regarding each sub-dimension and the overall health index for the countries were presented in detail. The research concluded that the developed index model was significant based on the findings of panel data analysis; however, it was determined that the variables within the environmental dimension need to be re-evaluated. The constructed health index model contributes to the literature by serving as a measure that can be used in international health comparisons, lays a foundation for future research, and suggests that a more comprehensive index could be developed if the contributions of the sub-dimensions are determined using advanced statistical methods.