The project aims to create two databases to analyse the impact of cost-containment policies in the Italian healthcare system on the health of the elderly, with a particular focus on regional initiatives implemented after 2007, such as the “Piani di Rientro” (Recovery Plans). These plans, adopted mainly in southern Italy, included austerity measures such as staff cuts, increases in pharmaceutical costs, tax increases and hospital closures, with potential repercussions on the health of older people in these areas.
(November 2024 – March 2025)
In the initial period, the Fragile Equilibria: Health Austerity and Quality of Ageing (ASQI) project completed WP1 (Initialisation) and WP2 (Planning). Due to the delay in the actual start of the project (November 2024), it was not possible to announce a 12-month grant: the Sassari unit therefore opted for a 10-month grant, announced on 21/01/2025 (Rep. 13/2025 prot. 89) and awarded in February 2025 to Dr Martina Meloni. The Messina unit has initiated discussions with data collection companies (Qualtrics, Ipsos, Doxa) to define how the questionnaire will be administered. The two units collaborated on the creation of two key tools: a semi-final version of the retrospective questionnaire and the R code to build the longitudinal dataset based on SHARE data, both of which are 100% complete and attached to the report. The questionnaire is currently being reviewed by the AgeIt partners and will be submitted to the ethics committee of the University of Sassari before data collection begins (WP3). The milestones set for WP1 and WP2 have been fully achieved according to the schedule, with only the initial deviation managed without impact on the subsequent phases.