Does Health Insurance Lead to Improvement of Health Status Among Chinese Rural Adults? Evidence From the China Family Panel Studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-359
Author(s):  
Jian Sun ◽  
Shoujun Lyu

The purpose of this study is to examine the causal relationship between the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS) and health status among Chinese rural adults. The data were drawn from China Family Panel Studies performed in 2016, involving 2,093 rural adults. Furthermore, this study employed k-nearest neighbor matching out of propensity score matching (PSM) to investigate the impact of NRCMS on health status among rural adults. Moreover, radius matching, kernel matching, and nearest-neighbor matching within caliper out of PSM were adopted to conduct sensitivity analyses. This study demonstrates that NRCMS enrollment has had a significant and positive effect on the self-assessed and mental health of rural adults, and the health effect shows significant age and income disparities. Moreover, the positive health effect may result from 2 channels, including the increase of health services utilization and the fact that adults with NRCMS are more likely to seek health care in lower-level medical institutions.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannick Fosso Djoumessi ◽  
Benjamin AWODUMI ◽  
Oluyemi ADEOSUN ◽  
Faith AHABYOONA

Abstract This study is designed to assess the impact of household electricity access on labour market outcomes in Uganda. The quasi-experimental method is applied on a sample of 28,035 households, divided into two counterfactual of treatment (n=8,925) and control (n=19,110) groups. Results strongly show that access to electricity significantly increases wages while decreasing the time spent at work. Specifically, the average wage of the households with access to electricity increased by 155%, 124% and 154% with the Kernel Matching (KM), Nearest-Neighbor Matching (NNM) and Radius Matching (RM) technique, respectively. The average job duration of households with electricity access decreased by 1.34%, 2.01% and 2.5% with KM, NNM and RM technique, respectively. It is recommended that the government of Uganda should increase electricity generation coverage through alternative sources as renewable and nuclear energy and improve the quality of existing energy infrastructures. JEL codes: C13, C31


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 833-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naiara SPERANDIO ◽  
Cristiana Tristão RODRIGUES ◽  
Sylvia do Carmo Castro FRANCESCHINI ◽  
Silvia Eloiza PRIORE

ABSTRACT Objective: To assess the impact of the Bolsa Família Program on the energy and nutrient intakes of beneficiaries from the Brazilian Northeast and Southeast regions. Methods: The study used data from the 2008-2009 Pesquisa de Orçamento Famíliar, which assessed individual food intake on two nonconsecutive days of individuals aged more than 10 years. Based the personal information booklet, food intake values were transformed into nutritional values (energy and nutrients). Analysis of the impact measure was preceded by propensity score matching, a technique that matches some socioeconomic characteristics of beneficiaries and nonbeneficiaries. Once the score was calculated, the impact of the Bolsa Família Program was estimated by nearest neighbor matching. Results: The program increased energy and macronutrient intakes and decreased calcium and vitamin A, D, E, and C intakes of adolescent beneficiaries in both regions. Adult beneficiaries from the Southeast region increased their fiber, iron, and selenium intakes, and those from the Northeast region decreased their energy, lipid, added sugar, sodium, zinc, vitamin E, and pyridoxine intakes. Conclusion: The results show a positive impact of the program on the energy and macronutrient intakes, and a negative impact on the intakes of most study micronutrients, especially in adolescents, which reinforce the importance of implementing intersectoral actions to improve the nutritional quality of the Bolsa Família Program beneficiaries' diet.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Do Xuan Luan ◽  
Nguyen Thanh Vu ◽  
Kieu Thi Thu Huong ◽  
Duong Thi Thu Hang ◽  
Siegfried Bauer

<p class="a"><span lang="EN-US">Access to credit has been thought to be a key factor in rural development and poverty reduction. In Vietnam, the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) emerged from the mono-tier banking system in 1988 and performs as a profit-oriented commercial bank sustaining the development of rural areas. During the last two decades, the bank has clearly expanded its share of credit outstanding in total rural credit market volume and this process is in line with the trending development of the national economy. The aim of this study is to examine whether Agribank credit improves household income in the Northern Mountains of Vietnam, where the poor and ethnic minorities are overrepresented in the population. In order to create robust estimates, a joint consideration of all four matching algorithms (</span><span lang="EN-US">nearest-neighbor matching, radius matching, Kernel matching and stratification matching) </span><span lang="EN-US">is applied to the Propensity Score Matching. The study found that access to extension services, ethnicity, and total savings emerged as reliable predictors of credit access among household endowments. Loan volumes increase with total value of household assets. In addition, the impact of credit lies in the range increase of 14.56% to 43.78% of total income, 12.09% to 51.83% of per capita income and 43.64% to 111.60% of nonfarm income of household with credit access. The agricultural bank credit has contributed in improving household income in the Northern Mountains of Vietnam. Results in this study provide further support for the hypothesis that the remarkable progress in poverty reduction in the last two decades in Vietnam is partly attributed to the development of Agribank credit. Experiences of the Agribank in lending to rural areas could be worthwhile for intermediary financial institutions to support rural development in Vietnam.</span></p>


2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Turkan Ahmet

The past few decades of ongoing war in Iraq has had a dramatic impact on the health of Iraq’s population. Wars are known to have negative effects on the social and physical environments of individuals, as well as limit their access to the available health care services. This paper explores the personal experiences of my family members, who were exposed to war, as well as includes information that has been reviewed form many academic sources. The data aided in providing recommendations and developing strategies, on both local and international levels, to improve the health status of the populations exposed to war.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Qionggui Zhou ◽  
Xuejiao Liu ◽  
Yang Zhao ◽  
Pei Qin ◽  
Yongcheng Ren ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: The impact of baseline hypertension status on the BMI–mortality association is still unclear. We aimed to examine the moderation effect of hypertension on the BMI–mortality association using a rural Chinese cohort. Design: In this cohort study, we investigated the incident of mortality according to different BMI categories by hypertension status. Setting: Longitudinal population-based cohort Participants: 17,262 adults ≥18 years were recruited from July to August of 2013 and July to August of 2014 from a rural area in China. Results: During a median 6-year follow-up, we recorded 1109 deaths (610 with and 499 without hypertension). In adjusted models, as compared with BMI 22-24 kg/m2, with BMI ≤18, 18-20, 20-22, 24-26, 26-28, 28-30 and >30 kg/m2, the HRs (95% CI) for mortality in normotensive participants were 1.92 (1.23-3.00), 1.44 (1.01-2.05), 1.14 (0.82-1.58), 0.96 (0.70-1.31), 0.96 (0.65-1.43), 1.32 (0.81-2.14), and 1.32 (0.74-2.35) respectively, and in hypertensive participants were 1.85 (1.08-3.17), 1.67 (1.17-2.39), 1.29 (0.95-1.75), 1.20 (0.91-1.58), 1.10 (0.83-1.46), 1.10 (0.80-1.52), and 0.61 (0.40-0.94) respectively. The risk of mortality was lower in individuals with hypertension with overweight or obesity versus normal weight, especially in older hypertensives (≥60 years old). Sensitivity analyses gave consistent results for both normotensive and hypertensive participants. Conclusions: Low BMI was significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality regardless of hypertension status in rural Chinese adults, but high BMI decreased the mortality risk among individuals with hypertension, especially in older hypertensives.


Author(s):  
Bernd Brüggenjürgen ◽  
Hans-Peter Stricker ◽  
Lilian Krist ◽  
Miriam Ortiz ◽  
Thomas Reinhold ◽  
...  

Abstract Aim To use a Delphi-panel-based assessment of the effectiveness of different non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) in order to retrospectively approximate and to prospectively predict the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic progression via a SEIR model (susceptible, exposed, infectious, removed). Methods We applied an evidence-educated Delphi-panel approach to elicit the impact of NPIs on the SARS-CoV-2 transmission rate R0 in Germany. Effectiveness was defined as the product of efficacy and compliance. A discrete, deterministic SEIR model with time step of 1 day, a latency period of 1.8 days, duration of infectiousness of 5 days, and a share of the total population of 15% assumed to be protected by immunity was developed in order to estimate the impact of selected NPI measures on the course of the pandemic. The model was populated with the Delphi-panel results and varied in sensitivity analyses. Results Efficacy and compliance estimates for the three most effective NPIs were as follows: test and isolate 49% (efficacy)/78% (compliance), keeping distance 42%/74%, personal protection masks (cloth masks or other face masks) 33%/79%. Applying all NPI effectiveness estimates to the SEIR model resulted in a valid replication of reported occurrence of the German SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. A combination of four NPIs at consented compliance rates might curb the CoViD-19 pandemic. Conclusion Employing an evidence-educated Delphi-panel approach can support SARS-CoV-2 modelling. Future curbing scenarios require a combination of NPIs. A Delphi-panel-based NPI assessment and modelling might support public health policy decision making by informing sequence and number of needed public health measures.


Author(s):  
Catherine Malboeuf-Hurtubise ◽  
Terra Léger-Goodes ◽  
Geneviève A. Mageau ◽  
Geneviève Taylor ◽  
Catherine M. Herba ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Emerging literature on the current COVID-19 crisis suggests that children may experience increased anxiety and depression as a result of the pandemic. To prevent such school and mental health-related problems, there is a timely need to develop preventive strategies and interventions to address potential negative impacts of COVID-19 on children’s mental health, especially in school settings. Results from previous child clinical research indicate that art-based therapies, including mindfulness-based art therapy, have shown promise to increase children’s well-being and reduce psychological distress. Objective The goal of the present pilot and feasibility study was to compare the impact of an emotion-based directed drawing intervention and a mandala drawing intervention, on mental health in elementary school children (N = 22), in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both interventions were group-based and delivered online and remotely. A pilot study using a randomized cluster design was implemented to evaluate and compare both interventions in relation to child anxiety, depression, inattention and hyperactivity symptoms. Results Analyses of covariance revealed a significant effect of the type of drawing intervention on levels of inattention, after controlling for baseline levels. Participants in the emotion-based directed drawing group showed lower inattention scores at post-test, when compared to participants in the mandala group. Post-hoc sensitivity analyses showed significant decreases in pre-to-post scores for levels of hyperactivity for the complete sample. Conclusion Overall, results from this pilot and feasibility study showed that both an emotion-based directed drawing intervention and a mandala drawing intervention may be beneficial to improve mental health in elementary school children, in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. From a feasibility standpoint, results indicate that the implementation of both interventions online and remotely, through a videoconference platform, is feasible and adequate in school-based settings. Further work incorporating larger sample sizes, longitudinal data and ensuring sufficient statistical power is warranted to evaluate the long-term impact of both interventions on children’s mental health.


2021 ◽  
pp. 088307382110001
Author(s):  
Jody L. Lin ◽  
Joseph Rigdon ◽  
Keith Van Haren ◽  
MyMy Buu ◽  
Olga Saynina ◽  
...  

Background: Gastrostomy tube (G-tube) placement for children with neurologic impairment with dysphagia has been suggested for pneumonia prevention. However, prior studies demonstrated an association between G-tube placement and increased risk of pneumonia. We evaluate the association between timing of G-tube placement and death or severe pneumonia in children with neurologic impairment. Methods: We included all children enrolled in California Children’s Services between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2014, with neurologic impairment and 1 pneumonia hospitalization. Prior to analysis, children with new G-tubes and those without were 1:2 propensity score matched on sociodemographics, medical complexity, and severity of index hospitalization. We used a time-varying Cox proportional hazard model for subsequent death or composite outcome of death or severe pneumonia to compare those with new G-tubes vs those without, adjusting for covariates described above. Results: A total of 2490 children met eligibility criteria, of whom 219 (9%) died and 789 (32%) had severe pneumonia. Compared to children without G-tubes, children with new G-tubes had decreased risk of death (hazard ratio [HR] 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.39-0.55) but increased risk of the composite outcome (HR 1.21, CI 1.14-1.27). Sensitivity analyses using varied time criteria for definitions of G-tube and outcome found that more recent G-tube placement had greater associated risk reduction for death but increased risk of severe pneumonia. Conclusion: Recent G-tube placement is associated with reduced risk of death but increased risk of severe pneumonia. Decisions to place G-tubes for pulmonary indications in children with neurologic impairment should weigh the impact of severe pneumonia on quality of life.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110304
Author(s):  
Ravindra Ganesh ◽  
Aditya K. Ghosh ◽  
Mark A. Nyman ◽  
Ivana T. Croghan ◽  
Stephanie L. Grach ◽  
...  

Objective Persistent post-COVID symptoms are estimated to occur in up to 10% of patients who have had COVID-19. These lingering symptoms may persist for weeks to months after resolution of the acute illness. This study aimed to add insight into our understanding of certain post-acute conditions and clinical findings. The primary purpose was to determine the persistent post COVID impairments prevalence and characteristics by collecting post COVID illness data utilizing Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®). The resulting measures were used to assess surveyed patients physical, mental, and social health status. Methods A cross-sectional study and 6-months Mayo Clinic COVID recovered registry data were used to evaluate continuing symptoms severity among the 817 positive tested patients surveyed between March and September 2020. The resulting PROMIS® data set was used to analyze patients post 30 days health status. The e-mailed questionnaires focused on fatigue, sleep, ability to participate in social roles, physical function, and pain. Results The large sample size (n = 817) represented post hospitalized and other managed outpatients. Persistent post COVID impairments prevalence and characteristics were determined to be demographically young (44 years), white (87%), and female (61%). Dysfunction as measured by the PROMIS® scales in patients recovered from acute COVID-19 was reported as significant in the following domains: ability to participate in social roles (43.2%), pain (17.8%), and fatigue (16.2%). Conclusion Patient response on the PROMIS® scales was similar to that seen in multiple other studies which used patient reported symptoms. As a result of this experience, we recommend utilizing standardized scales such as the PROMIS® to obtain comparable data across the patients’ clinical course and define the disease trajectory. This would further allow for effective comparison of data across studies to better define the disease process, risk factors, and assess the impact of future treatments.


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