scholarly journals Japan’s voluntary lockdown: further evidence based on age-specific mobile location data

Author(s):  
Tsutomu Watanabe ◽  
Tomoyoshi Yabu

AbstractChanges in people’s behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic can be regarded as the result of two types of effects: the “intervention effect” (changes resulting from government orders for people to change their behavior) and the “information effect” (voluntary changes in people’s behavior based on information about the pandemic). Using age-specific mobile location data, we examine how the intervention and information effects differ across age groups. Our main findings are as follows. First, the age profile of the intervention effect shows that the degree to which people refrained from going out was smaller for older age groups, who are at a higher risk of serious illness and death, than for younger age groups. Second, the age profile of the information effect shows that the degree to which people stayed at home tended to increase with age for weekends and holidays. Thus, while Acemoglu et al. (2020) proposed targeted lockdowns requiring stricter lockdown policies for the oldest group in order to protect those at a high risk of serious illness and death, our findings suggest that Japan’s government intervention had a very different effect in that it primarily reduced outings by the young, and what led to the quarantining of older groups at higher risk instead was people’s voluntary response to information about the pandemic. Third, the information effect has been on a downward trend since the summer of 2020. It is relatively more pronounced among the young, so that the age profile of the information effect remains upward sloping.

Author(s):  
Caroline Ponmani ◽  
Damian Roland

SARS-CoV-2 was identified as a new virus in January 2020 following reports of pneumonia of unknown aetiology from China. Since then, the virus has spread rapidly throughout the world. While evidence accumulates on the collateral damage to children as a result of system changes, SARS-CoV-2 appears to rarely cause serious illness in younger age groups. However, the emergence of an inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 has complicated initial assessment. We present a summary of how the virus has affected children with a synopsis of testing and treatment to help acute paediatricians make informed decisions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. eabf1374
Author(s):  
Laura Matrajt ◽  
Julia Eaton ◽  
Tiffany Leung ◽  
Elizabeth R. Brown

Vaccines, when available, will likely become our best tool to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Even in the most optimistic scenarios, vaccine shortages will likely occur. Using an age-stratified mathematical model paired with optimization algorithms, we determined optimal vaccine allocation for four different metrics (deaths, symptomatic infections, and maximum non-ICU and ICU hospitalizations) under many scenarios. We find that a vaccine with effectiveness ≥50% would be enough to substantially mitigate the ongoing pandemic, provided that a high percentage of the population is optimally vaccinated. When minimizing deaths, we find that for low vaccine effectiveness, irrespective of vaccination coverage, it is optimal to allocate vaccine to high-risk (older) age groups first. In contrast, for higher vaccine effectiveness, there is a switch to allocate vaccine to high-transmission (younger) age groups first for high vaccination coverage. While there are other societal and ethical considerations, this work can provide an evidence-based rationale for vaccine prioritization.


Author(s):  
Marina E. Elutina ◽  
◽  
Svetlana V. Sitnikova ◽  
Julia A. Semenova ◽  
◽  
...  

The article deals with age-specific features of women’s entrepreneurial activity on the example of the women entrepreneurs in Saratov region. The logic of the work is built around the identification of the age profile of women’s entrepreneurship, as well as the age specificity of the key components of women’s entrepreneurial activity. On the basis of the analysis of quantitative and qualitative research materials, a socio-demographic portrait of a woman entrepreneur and the profile of her activities were drawn up, as well as age-specific features of women’s entrepreneurial activity were described in detail. The representatives of the older age group of women entrepreneurs are characterized by the forced start of entrepreneurial activity, the possibility of prolongation of which is inextricably linked with the personal characteristics of the leader. The entrepreneurship of the middle and younger age groups is associated with the accumulation of human and social capital and entry into the market through the accessible niche. For them the protocols and hierarchies are less important but a reliable system of financial compensation and the possibility of personal growth present significant motivational factors.


Author(s):  
Laura Matrajt ◽  
Julie Eaton ◽  
Tiffany Leung ◽  
Elizabeth R Brown

A vaccine, when available, will likely become our best tool to control the cur- rent COVID-19 pandemic. Even in the most optimistic scenarios, vaccine shortages will likely occur. Using an age-stratified mathematical model paired with optimization algorithms, we determined optimal vaccine allocation for four different metrics (deaths, symptomatic infections, and maximum non- ICU and ICU hospitalizations) under many scenarios. We find that a vaccine with effectiveness ≥50% would be enough to substantially mitigate the ongo- ing pandemic provided that a high percentage of the population is optimally vaccinated. When minimizing deaths, we find that for low vaccine effective- ness, irrespective of vaccination coverage, it is optimal to allocate vaccine to high-risk (older) age-groups first. In contrast, for higher vaccine effectiveness, there is a switch to allocate vaccine to high-transmission (younger) age-groups first for high vaccination coverage. While there are other societal and ethical considerations, this work can provide an evidence-based rationale for vaccine prioritization.


Author(s):  
Peter Anderson ◽  
Amy O’Donnell ◽  
Daša Kokole ◽  
Eva Jané Llopis ◽  
Eileen Kaner

Zero and low alcohol products, particularly beer, are gaining consideration as a method to reduce consumption of ethanol. We do not know if this approach is likely to increase or decrease health inequalities. The aim of the study was to determine if the purchase and consumption of zero and low alcohol beers differs by demographic and socio-economic characteristics of consumers. Based on British household purchase data from 79,411 households and on British survey data of more than 104,635 adult (18+) respondents, we estimated the likelihood of buying and drinking zero (ABV = 0.0%) and low alcohol (ABV > 0.0% and ≤ 3.5%) beer by a range of socio-demographic characteristics. We found that buying and consuming zero alcohol beer is much more likely to occur in younger age groups, in more affluent households, and in those with higher social grades, with gaps in buying zero alcohol beer between households in higher and lower social grades widening between 2015 and 2020. Buying and drinking low alcohol beer had less consistent relationships with socio-demographic characteristics, but was strongly driven by households that normally buy and drink the most alcohol. Common to many health-related behaviours, it seems that it is the more affluent that lead the way in choosing zero or low alcohol products. Whilst the increased availability of zero and low alcohol products might be a useful tool to reduce overall ethanol consumption in the more socially advantageous part of society, it may be less beneficial for the rest of the population. Other evidence-based alcohol policy measures that lessen health inequalities, need to go hand-in-hand with those promoting the uptake of zero and low alcohol beer.


Crisis ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 178-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Pompili ◽  
Marco Innamorati ◽  
Monica Vichi ◽  
Maria Masocco ◽  
Nicola Vanacore ◽  
...  

Background: Suicide is a major cause of premature death in Italy and occurs at different rates in the various regions. Aims: The aim of the present study was to provide a comprehensive overview of suicide in the Italian population aged 15 years and older for the years 1980–2006. Methods: Mortality data were extracted from the Italian Mortality Database. Results: Mortality rates for suicide in Italy reached a peak in 1985 and declined thereafter. The different patterns observed by age and sex indicated that the decrease in the suicide rate in Italy was initially the result of declining rates in those aged 45+ while, from 1997 on, the decrease was attributable principally to a reduction in suicide rates among the younger age groups. It was found that socioeconomic factors underlined major differences in the suicide rate across regions. Conclusions: The present study confirmed that suicide is a multifaceted phenomenon that may be determined by an array of factors. Suicide prevention should, therefore, be targeted to identifiable high-risk sociocultural groups in each country.


Author(s):  
P.A. Balykin ◽  
◽  
A.V. Startsev ◽  
G.E. Guskov ◽  
A.S. Grin ◽  
...  

The materials for 2003-2018 on the biological state of sazan of the eastern part of the Taganrog Bay and the Don River delta were summarized. It has been shown that the catches of sazan in the study area consisted of more than half of the fish of younger age groups, the length of which was less than the commercial measure. The ratio of linear and weight growth of sazan is shifting towards a decrease in the mass of one-dimensional specimen, which is indirect evidence of the deterioration of the natural living conditions of semi-migratory fish. In 2019, the carp parasite fauna was represented by 7 species related to monogenes - 2 species, cestodes - 3 species, nematodes - 1 species, crustaceans - 1. The state of the sazan population needs further research.


Author(s):  
Paul W Turke

Abstract The severity of COVID-19 is age-related, with the advantage going to younger age groups. Five reasons are presented. The first two are well-known, are being actively researched by the broader medical community, and therefore are discussed only briefly here. The third, fourth, and fifth reasons derive from evolutionary life history theory, and potentially fill gaps in current understanding of why and how young and old age groups respond differently to infection with SARS-CoV-2. Age of onset of generalized somatic aging, and the timing of its progression, are identified as important causes of these disparities, as are specific antagonistic pleiotropic tradeoffs in immune system function.


Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 357
Author(s):  
Rafael López Cordero ◽  
Francisca Ruiz Garzón ◽  
Lourdes Medina Martínez ◽  
María del Carmen Olmos-Gómez

The current trend of secularization seems to be leading to a gradual withdrawal of religion from public spaces. However, in an increasingly internationalized world, it is becoming more and more important to study the roles of religion and religiosity and their potential in relation to dialogue and social conflicts and tensions. Education is a vital field within which to address this religious issue and create an educational dialogue in order to promote coexistence. By following a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study, based on a quasi-experimental methodology with a social–analytical character, our aim is to assess the existing connections between religion, interrelation and opinion in Spanish children and adolescents. Special attention is paid to the interaction between age and beliefs. We carried out our study with the use of a questionnaire distributed to eleven secondary schools, with students aged between 11 and 16 years old, in three regions of southern Spain (Andalusia, Ceuta, and Melilla) characterized by high religious diversity and multiculturalism. The multivariate analysis carried out in this study identifies the effects of variance on the influence of age and religion, highlighting the interaction between the two. It is observed that the youngest students are those who express their opinions about religion the least, while those belonging to younger age groups and majority religions are those who express a greater religious coexistence, with Muslims externalizing their religious condition the most.


2016 ◽  
Vol 04 (01) ◽  
pp. 023-030
Author(s):  
Vimal Kumar ◽  
Pallak Arora ◽  
Manish Khatri ◽  
Shivani Sharma ◽  
Sumit Malhotra ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: To estimate the prevalence of periodontal disease with different indices. Methods & materials: The study population consisted of multistage stratified random sample of 1300 subjects from total population of district Ghaziabad. A cross-sectional study was conducted with multi stage stratified random sampling techniques to select the sample population. The subjects were divided into different age groups and the periodontal assessment was made on the basis of CPITN index and ESI Index. Results: The CPITN has shown to estimate incorrect periodontal disease prevalence because of its underestimation of the disease severity. A huge difference was noticed in the prevalence rate of periodontitis when subjects were examined with ESI index. Conclusion Periodontal disease was found to be highly prevalent in the study population and severity of disease increased with age. More number of subjects in younger age group were found to be healthy.


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