Abstract
This study examines whether health status determines the holding of consumer debt in a sample of 1,619 individuals over the age of 50 in Spain during the period 2021–2022. Our results show that a higher number of chronic conditions is positively associated with the holding of loans granted by financial institutions, while a negative perception of health status increases the likelihood of resorting to credit card debt. These findings highlight the need to improve household financial planning in order to mitigate financial vulnerabilities arising from potential health shocks or deteriorations.
Keywords: health status, consumer debt, loans from financial institutions, credit cards, SHARE.