El Estado de Salud de los Jóvenes Uruguayos

This work studies the health status of young Uruguayan population based on the Survey on Health and Social Networks, carried by Department of Economics of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the UdelaR, during the year 2004. Through an ordered probit model, the probability of having a very good, good or bad health status are estimated for young Uruguayans between 14 and 29 years of age, controlling for socioeconomic characteristics and risky behaviours. Results show that the probability of having a better health status positively depends on the education, physical activity, nutritional status, being a non-smoker, living in small cities, counting on social networks and living in a home with less relative privation. Marginal effects show that the variable chosen as an approach for the initial stock, is the most important factor in the determination of the current health status of the young