Abstract

Throughout their lives, individuals face numerous risks that can negatively impact their health. Human
health is influenced not only by biological factors but also by a wide range of behavioral, environmental,
social, and socioeconomic determinants. These factors, which increase the likelihood of diseases and
injuries, are among the leading causes of the most significant global health issues and mortality.
Understanding and addressing these underlying determinants is essential for preventing diseases and
injuries. This study aims to classify 35 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) into similar clusters based on health risk factors and to identify the countries
most similar to Turkey. The variables used to evaluate countries according to health risk factors include
tobacco use, alcohol consumption, obesity, daily fruit consumption, daily vegetable consumption,
exposure to air pollution, out-of-pocket health expenditures, unemployment, low educational attainment,
and private health expenditures. The study employs cluster analysis to evaluate ten distinct health risk
factors for 35 OECD countries using 2020 data. Initially, a separate cluster analysis was conducted for
each risk factor, grouping countries into three clusters. Subsequently, a comprehensive cluster analysis
was performed using all risk factors, resulting in the classification of countries into four clusters based
on their similarities. Turkey was found to share the greatest similarity in health risk factors with Italy,
Portugal, Spain, and Mexico. However, the findings revealed that Turkey belongs to the cluster with the
highest health risk levels among the OECD countries.

Author(s)

Şeyma Yenioğlu
Gülbiye Yenimahalleli Yaşar

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