scholarly journals Does Sport Affect Health and Well-Being or Is It the Other Way Around? A Note on Reverse-Causality in Empirical Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 218-226
Author(s):  
Jing Guan ◽  
J. D. Tena
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
The Other ◽  
Reverse Causality ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Great Relevance ◽  
Causal Impact ◽  
Different Response ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Response Variables

Estimating the causal impact of sport or physical activity on health and well-being is an issue of great relevance in the sport and health literature. The increasing availability of individual level data has encouraged this interest. However, this analysis requires dealing with two types of simultaneity problem: (1) between exercise and response variables; and (2) across the different response variables. This note discusses how the previous literature has dealt with these two questions with particular attention paid to the use of seemingly aseptic econometric models proposed by some recent empirical papers. Regardless of the approach, identification necessarily requires the use of untestable hypotheses. We provide some recommendations based on analyzing the robustness of the estimation results to changes in the adopted identification assumptions.

scholarly journals The Community Health Supporting Environments and Residents’ Health and Well-Being: The Role of Health Literacy

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 7769
Author(s):  
Tianfeng He ◽  
Lefan Liu ◽  
Jing Huang ◽  
Guoxing Li ◽  
Xinbiao Guo
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Excellent Health ◽  
Reported Health ◽  
Health And Well Being

We evaluate the impacts that health supporting environments have on residents’ health and well-being. Using a stratified multi-stage sampling method, we select a sample of 12,360 permanent adult residents aged 15–69, and collect information on their health literacy level, as well as their demographic background and health. This individual level data is then merged with the administrative health supporting environment data. More than two thirds of residents self-reported having good/excellent health, and the percent of adults living in communities with healthy parks, healthy trails, and healthy huts in their community is 23 percent, 43 percent, and 25 percent, respectively. Controlling for a series of confounding factors at the community and individual levels, we find that healthy parks and healthy trails are positively correlated with self-reported health, which increases the probability of self-reporting good health by 2.0 percentage points (p < 0.10) and 6.0 percentage points (p < 0.01), respectively. Access to healthy huts is negatively associated with self-reported health, decreasing the probability of self-reporting good health by 5.0 percentage points (p < 0.01). Health literacy plays a role in moderating the effect of health parks, and a positive effect is more likely to be observed among adults with lower health literacy. Health supporting environments may play a role in reducing the likelihood of undiagnosed diseases and changing residents’ lifestyles, which promotes the health and well-being of residents, especially among those with inadequate health literacy.

scholarly journals How does area-level deprivation depress an individual’s self-rated health and life satisfaction? Evidence from a nationwide population-based survey in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Oshio ◽  
Hiromi Kimura ◽  
Toshimi Nishizaki ◽  
Takashi Omori
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Level Data ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Area-level deprivation is well known to have an adverse impact on mortality, morbidity, or other specific health outcomes. This study examined how area-level deprivation may affect self-rated health (SRH) and life satisfaction (LS), an issue that is largely understudied. Methods We used individual-level data obtained from a nationwide population-based internet survey conducted between 2019 and 2020, as well as municipality-level data obtained from a Japanese government database (N = 12,461 living in 366 municipalities). We developed multilevel regression models to explain an individual’s SRH and LS scores using four alternative measures of municipality-level deprivation, controlling for individual-level deprivation and covariates. We also examined how health behavior and interactions with others mediated the impact of area-level deprivation on SRH and LS. Results Participants in highly deprived municipalities tended to report poorer SRH and lower LS. For example, when living in municipalities falling in the highest tertile of municipality-level deprivation as measured by the z-scoring method, SRH and LS scores worsened by a standard deviation of 0.05 (p < 0.05) when compared with those living in municipalities falling in the lowest tertile of deprivation. In addition, health behavior mediated between 17.6 and 33.1% of the impact of municipality-level deprivation on SRH and LS, depending on model specifications. Conclusion Results showed that area-level deprivation modestly decreased an individual’s general health conditions and subjective well-being, underscoring the need for public health policies to improve area-level socioeconomic conditions.

6. The why of creativity

2021 ◽  
pp. 82-96
Author(s):  
Vlad Glăveanu
Keyword(s):  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Creative Expression ◽  
The Other ◽  
Creative People ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The One ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Different Levels

This chapter addresses why people engage in creativity. This question can be answered at different levels. On the one hand, one can refer to what motivates creative people to do what they do. On the other hand, the question addresses a deeper level, that of how societies today are built and how they, in turn, construct the meaning and value of creativity. Nowadays, people consider creativity intrinsically valuable largely because of its direct and indirect economic benefits. However, creative expression also has a role for health and well-being. Creativity also relates to meaning in life. The chapter then considers how creativity can be used for good or for evil.

scholarly journals Predictions of summertime overheating: Comparison of dynamic thermal models and measurements in synthetically occupied test houses

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 512-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben M Roberts ◽  
David Allinson ◽  
Susie Diamond ◽  
Ben Abel ◽  
Claire Das Bhaumik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Internal Heat ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Thermal Simulation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Supplementary Information ◽  
Thermal Models ◽  
Door Opening ◽  
Test House ◽  
Health And Well Being

Summertime overheating in UK dwellings is seen as a risk to occupants' health and well-being. Dynamic thermal simulation programs are widely used to assess the overheating risk in new homes, but how accurate are the predictions? Results from two different dynamic thermal simulation programs used by four different experienced modellers are compared with measurements from a pair of traditional, semi-detached test houses. The synthetic occupancy in the test houses replicated curtain operation and the CIBSE TM59 internal heat gain profiles and internal door opening profiles. In one house, the windows were always closed and in the other they operated following the TM59 protocol. Sensors monitored the internal temperatures in five rooms and the local weather during a 21-day period in the summer of 2017. Model evaluation took place in two phases: blind and open. In the blind phase, modellers received information about the houses, the occupancy profiles and the weather conditions. In the open phase, modellers received the test house temperature measurements and, with the other modellers, adjusted their models to try and improve predictions. The data provided to modellers is openly available as supplementary information to this paper. In both phases, during warm weather, the models consistently predicted higher peak temperatures and larger diurnal swings than were measured. The models' predicted hours of overheating were compared with the measured hours using the CIBSE static threshold of 26℃ for bedrooms and the BSEN15251 Category II threshold for living rooms. The models developed in each phase were also used to predict the annual hours of overheating using the CIBSE TM59 procedure. The inter-model variation was quantified as the Simulation Resolution. For these houses, the blind phase models produced Simulation Resolution values of approximately 3% ± 3 percentage points for TM59 Criterion A and 1% ± 1 percentage point for TM59 Criterion B. The Simulation Resolution concept offers a valuable aid to modellers when assessing the compliance of dwellings with the TM59 overheating criteria. Further work to produce Simulation Resolution values for different dwelling archetypes and weather conditions is recommended. Practical application: Overheating in UK homes is a serious and growing risk to health and well-being. Dynamic thermal models are used to predict overheating risk in existing and proposed dwellings. Comparisons between predicted temperatures and temperatures measured in two test houses shed light on the accuracy of predictions for existing homes. CIBSE Technical Memorandum TM59 provides a strategy for predicting overheating risk in proposed dwellings. There are, however, differences between models' predictions. The concept of Simulation Resolution is introduced to quantify this inter-model variability. It provides modellers with a firm basis on which to determine whether TM59 overheating predictions are robust.

The Electoral Allure of Direct Democracy: The Effect of Initiative Salience on Voting, 1990-96

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Lacey
Keyword(s):  
Voter Turnout ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Direct Democracy ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
The Other ◽  
Ballot Initiatives ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Midterm Elections ◽  
Election Studies

Do salient ballot initiatives stimulate voting? Recent studies have shown that initiatives increase voter turnout, but some methodological concerns still linger. These studies have either relied solely on aggregate data to make inferences about individual-level behavior or used a flawed measure of initiative salience. Using individual-level data from the National Election Studies, I find that ballot question salience indeed stimulated voting in the midterm elections of 1990 and 1994. In an election with moderately salient ballot questions, a person's likelihood of voting can increase by as much as 30 percent in a midterm election. On the other hand, consistent with most prior research, I find no statistically significant relationship between ballot question salience and voting in presidential elections.

scholarly journals Health and Well-Being Consequences for Gender Violence Survivors from Isolating Gender Violence

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8626
Author(s):  
Adriana Aubert ◽  
Ramon Flecha
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Gender Violence ◽  
The Other ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The One ◽  
Health And Well Being

Recent scientific literature has published about the Isolating Gender Violence (IGV), the violence exerted by harassers against those who support their victims. IGV provokes suffering to advocates with health and well-being consequences that have been analyzed by more recent research; but IGV provokes also suffering on the victims of gender violence when they see the suffering of those who have supported them and also for their isolation. Thus, the aim of the present study is to explore the health and well-being consequences of IGV on gender violence survivors. The methodology includes three narratives of gender violence survivors whose advocates supporting them were victimized by IGV. The results show, on the one hand, an increase of the health and well-being effects of gender violence already analyzed by scientific literature; on the other hand, new health and well-being effects appear. All survivors interviewed say that, besides those new consequences for their health, the support of those advocates has decreased the global health effects of the total gender violence they suffered.

Adjusting to working away and as an expatriate: learnings on what organisations can do to promote the mental health and well-being of workers and their families

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 440
Author(s):  
Melanie L. Freeman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Psychosocial Risks ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Building Capability ◽  
The Military ◽  
Health And Well Being

Adjusting to frequent separations and reunions can put pressure on the relationships and families of those who work away. Although the work context is different, there are similar effects and challenges for workers, families and organisations across the military, expatriate and fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) research domains. Mental health, work performance, job satisfaction, relationships and parenting are all negatively affected by the extended periods of deployment or posting and the regular and ongoing shorter periods of FIFO work. At the individual level, personality dimensions (emotional stability, sociability, openness to new experiences), locus of control, intelligence, self-sufficiency and cultural intelligence have been shown to significantly affect these impacts and provide organisations with starting points for both the screening of candidates for roles and coaching them to better adjust and cope cross-culturally. The recruitment and onboarding processes should be underpinned by the principles of managing expectations and building capability, and this means that realistic and relevant information should focus on the realities of the work, the work environment and host country. The onboarding process that seeks to socialise the worker into the organisation and the culture should assume the worker will take at least 6 months to settle into the role. Predeparture training should engage with the worker and their families to ensure the development of coping skills and practical strategies for managing communication, parenting and relationships. Effectively managing the psychosocial risks faced by workers across these domains will improve the mental health and well-being of workers and their families.

Using Geographic Information Systems to Solve Community Problems

2005 ◽  
pp. 2978-2985
Author(s):  
Jane L. Garb ◽  
Richard B. Wait
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Geographic Information Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Local Problems ◽  
Health And Well Being

This article describes how the technology of geographic information systems (GIS) can be used as a tool to integrate various types of community-level data to address local problems. The purpose of the article is to present an approach that can be replicated by others. This approach is based on community-wide collaborative sharing of resources, data, and research applications with an aim to enhance the health and well-being of the local area population. Although the example used relates to health, the approach can be used to deal with any “event” or series of events in the community.

Causal Impact of Employee Work Perceptions on the Bottom Line of Organizations

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
James K. Harter ◽  
Frank L. Schmidt ◽  
James W. Asplund ◽  
Emily A. Killham ◽  
Sangeeta Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Employee Attitudes ◽  
Employee Perceptions ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Specific Work ◽  
Reverse Causality ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Business Units ◽  
Causal Impact

Perceptions of work conditions have proven to be important to the well-being of workers. However, customer loyalty, employee retention, revenue, sales, and profit are essential to the success of any business. It is known that these outcomes are correlated with employee attitudes and perceptions of work conditions, but the research into direction of causality has been inconclusive. Using a massive longitudinal database that included 2,178 business units in 10 large organizations, we found evidence supporting the causal impact of employee perceptions on these bottom-line measures; reverse causality of bottom-line measures on employee perceptions existed but was weaker. Managerial actions and practices can impact employee work conditions and employee perceptions of these conditions, thereby improving key outcomes at the organizational level. Perceptions of specific work conditions that engage employees in their work provide practical guidance in how best to manage people to obtain desired results.

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