The Importance of the Political and the Social in Explaining Mortality Differentials among the Countries of the OECD, 1950–1998

This article analyzes (within the conceptual frame defined in the previous article) the impact of political variables such as time of government by political parties (social democratic, Christian democratic or conservative, liberal, and ex-dictatorial that have governed the OECD countries during the 1950–1998 period) and their electoral support on (1) redistributional policies in the labor market and in the welfare state; (2) the income inequalities measured by Theil and Gini indexes; and (3) health indicators, such as infant mortality and life expectancy. This analysis is carried out statistically by a bivariate and a multivariate analysis (a pooled cross-sectional study). Both analyses show that political variables play an important role in defining how public and social policies determine the levels of inequalities and affect the level of infant mortality. In general, political parties more committed to redistributional policies, such as social democratic parties, are the most successful in reducing inequalities and improving infant mortality. Less evidence exists, however, on effects on life expectancy. The article also quantifies statistically the relationship between the political and the policy variables and between these variables and the dependent variables—that is, the health indicators.

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Health at the ballot box: disease threat does not predict attractiveness preference in British politicians

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.160049 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 160049

Author(s):

Gustav Nilsonne ◽

Adam Renberg ◽

Sandra Tamm ◽

Mats Lekander

Keyword(s):

Infant Mortality ◽

Life Expectancy ◽

Good Health ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Self Rated Health ◽

Members Of Parliament ◽

The Usa ◽

Adaptive Behaviours ◽

The Uk

According to disease avoidance theory, selective pressures have shaped adaptive behaviours to avoid people who might transmit infections. Such behavioural immune defence strategies may have social and societal consequences. Attractiveness is perceived as a heuristic cue of good health, and the relative importance of attractiveness is predicted to increase during high disease threat. Here, we investigated whether politicians' attractiveness is more important for electoral success when disease threat is high, in an effort to replicate earlier findings from the USA. We performed a cross-sectional study of 484 members of the House of Commons from England and Wales. Publicly available sexiness ratings (median 5883 ratings/politician) were regressed on measures of disease burden, operationalized as infant mortality, life expectancy and self-rated health. Infant mortality in parliamentary constituencies did not significantly predict sexiness of elected members of parliament ( p = 0.08), nor did life expectancy ( p = 0.06), nor self-rated health ( p = 0.55). Subsample analyses failed to provide further support for the hypothesis. In conclusion, an attractive leader effect was not amplified by disease threat in the UK and these results did not replicate those of earlier studies from the USA concerning the relationship between attractiveness, disease threat and voting preference.

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What the impact of the economic crisis on the Brazilian’s lifestyle between 2013 and 2016? A long-term trend cross-sectional study.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-26007/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sonny Állan Bezerra ◽

Denilson Menezes Santos ◽

Michele Maria Oliveira ◽

Claudia Vanisse Costa ◽

Elaynne de Oliveira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Economic Crisis ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sharp Drop ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact ◽

Long Term Trend

Abstract Background: Brazil has been going through a period of economic crisis since 2015 and the impact on health indicators and the quality of life of the most recent crisis is unclear. This study sought to establish a relationship between the impact of the economic crisis experienced by Brazil during the period 2013-2016 and the lifestyle of adult populations in the 27 capitals of the Brazilian state.Results: According to the binary logistic regression model, at least completing secondary education increases the probability of individuals presenting higher LS by 4.9% (OR=1,049, 95% CI 1,029–1,070); being involved in some type of relationship decreases the probability of presenting a higher LS by 5.3% (OR=0.947, 95% CI 0.029-0.965); having an adequate body mass index increases LS by 27.3% (OR=1.273, 95% CI 1,245.10.10). Living in a city with a lower unemployment rate increases the probability of having a higher LS score by 3.8%(OR=1,038, 95% CI 1,012-1.064); living in a city with a more basic food basket decreases the probability of having a higher LS score by 5.4% (OR=0.946, 95% CI 0.910-0.982). Presenting higher yields decreases the probability of having a higher LS by 12% (OR=0.880, 95% CI 0.860-0.900). In addition, there was an increase in the percentage of leisure-time PA in 2015 (20.9%), followed by a decrease to 18.1% in 2016, after a stabilization period in 2013 (19.5%) and 2014 (19.6%). The physical exercise showed a steady annual increase, with a score of 49.6% in 2013, followed by 50.9% and 51.9% in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and ending with 54.5% in 2016. The "Watch TV 5x per week" indicator recorded a sharp drop between 2013 (27.9%) and 2015 (22.7%), as well as the consumption of soft drinks, which went from stable values in 2013 (19.5%) and 2014 (19%) 17.3% in 2015.Conclusion: In the case of Brazil, the economic crisis initially started in 2015 had a negative impact on the population over time, but these effects were only observed in the second year of crisis, being preceded by a temporary improvement of indicators.

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MODES OF USE OF THE CELL PHONE AND HEALTH OF SCHOOLCHILDREN

Hygiene and Sanitation ◽

10.18821/0016-9900-2019-98-8-857-862 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 98 (8) ◽

pp. 857-862 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Olga A. Vyatleva ◽

A. M. Kurgansky

Keyword(s):

Sleep Disorders ◽

Age Differences ◽

Radiation Intensity ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Relative Risks ◽

Age Related ◽

Age Dependent ◽

The Impact

Introduction. The broad spread of cell phones (CP) among schoolchildren and the absence of age standards for their safe use determined the purpose of the study: to reveal the regimens of CP use, critical for the health of children and adolescents. Material and methods. In a cross-sectional study in 2008-2010, by the questionnaire data of 2,137 schoolchildren aged 6-15 years there was assessed the impact of CP usage indices (daily number of calls - CN, call duration - CD, and total daily duration of calls - TCDD) on health (the incidence of headaches and sleep disorders, number of colds). Student and Mann-Whitney criteria and assessment of relative risks were used. Results. The study revealed age-dependent critical values of usage indices (in 6-10 years: CN=2, TCDD=6 minutes.; in 11-13 years: CN=6; in 14-15 years CN=6, CD=3 minutes., TCDD=4 -10 min.), the exceeding of which due to risks: in 6-10 years - to have more than 4 colds a year (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.09-4.62); in 11-13 years to have several headaches per week (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.12-2.30); in 14-15 years - to have several headaches (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.27-2.54) and several sleep disorders (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.17-2.37) per week. Discussion. Age differences in critical modes of CP use and in health violations, as well as the importance of radiation intensity are discussed. Conclusions. Age-related CP use regimens, critical for health, were established. It was shown the need to develop more precise age criteria for safe CP use with taking into account a wider range of health indicators and radiation intensity.

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Maternal and Child Health in Urban Sabah, Malaysia: A Comparison of Citizens and Migrants

Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1177/101053959400700302 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 151-158 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Siti Norazah Zulkifli ◽

Khin Maw U ◽

Khairuddin Yusof ◽

Wong Yut Lin

Keyword(s):

Child Health ◽

Infant Mortality ◽

Maternal And Child Health ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Infant Mortality Rate ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Multi Stage ◽

Pregnancy Wastage ◽

And Child Health

This paper describes selected maternal and child health indicators based on a cross-sectional study of citizens and migrants in Sabah, Malaysia. A total of 1, 515 women were interviewed from a multi-stage random sample of households in eight urban centers. Among the 1, 411 women in the sample who had experienced a pregnancy before, 76% were local citizens and 24% were migrants. There were statistically significant differences between citizens and migrants in ethnicity, religion, education, household income, and access to treated water supply and sanitary toilet facilities. Significantly fewer migrants practiced any form of contraception and obtained any antenatal care during any pregnancy. Furthermore, citizens tended to initiate care as early as three months but migrants as late as seven months. Despite these differences, only the infant mortality rate, and not pregnancy wastage, was statistically significantly higher among migrants. Pregnancy interval was also similar between the two groups. The influence of several socioeconomic factors on pregnancy wastage and infant mortality was explored. Asia Pac J Public Health1994;7(3):151-8.

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The Necessity of Developing AIDS and Reproductive Health Indicators for Iranian Adolescents in the National Health System; The Evaluation of Indicators among 18-24 Year Old University Students of Shahroud, Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

The Open Public Health Journal ◽

10.2174/1874944501811010339 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 339-347 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Katayon Vakilian ◽

Afsaneh Keramat ◽

Mousavi Seyyed Abbas

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Health ◽

National Health System ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Male Students ◽

Validity And Reliability ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Service Programs ◽

The Difference ◽

The Impact

Background and Objectives:Indicators are required to assess health needs as well as monitor, implement and evaluate the impact of health promotion programs. In the present study, efficacious indicators in the prevention of HIV/AIDS and enhancement of reproductive health were developed and measured.Materials and Methods:After creating a database, the indicators were presented to a panel of experts. A total of 28 indicators, which were divided into three domain categoriesviz: “knowledge”, “attitude” and “behavior” were developed after prioritization. In the next stage, 1500 male and female students within the age bracket of 18-24 were included after ascertaining the validity and reliability of some of the study's questionnaires. Multistage sampling was employed. After obtaining approval from universities and the respective professors, the questionnaires were distributed to students. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 20 and Pearson's descriptive-analytical statistics.Results:Responding to whether “AIDS can be transmitted through the use of a previously used toilet by an individual suffering from AIDS” or not, 168 (18.8%) female and 166 (32.0%) male students answered correctly, with the difference being statistically significant (p = 0.001). A total of 293 (40.6%) male students believed that the perfect age for males to get married was 26 or under. A total of 157 (30.4%) female and 267 (29.5%) male students believed that the majority of their single friends had never had sexual relations, respectively.Conclusion:Planning can be carried out to reduce factors that adversely affect the enhancement of adolescents’ reproductive and sexual health through the measurement of such indicators, including educational and service programs that provide a better access to such services for adolescents.

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Multidisciplinary team decision is rare and decreasing in percutaneous vascular interventions despite positive impact on in-hospital outcomes

VASA ◽

10.1024/0301-1526/a000771 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 262-269 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Christian-Alexander Behrendt ◽

Tilo Kölbel ◽

Thea Schwaneberg ◽

Holger Diener ◽

Ralf Hohnhold ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multidisciplinary Team ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Invasive Treatment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Hospital Outcomes ◽

Vascular Intervention ◽

Medical Specialties ◽

Team Decision ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Background: Worldwide prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) is increasing and peripheral vascular intervention (PVI) has become the primary invasive treatment. There is evidence that multidisciplinary team decision-making (MTD) has an impact on in-hospital outcomes. This study aims to depict practice patterns and time changes regarding MTD of different medical specialties. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study design. 20,748 invasive, percutaneous PVI of PAD conducted in the metropolitan area of Hamburg (Germany) were consecutively collected between January 2004 and December 2014. Results: MTD prior to PVI was associated with lower odds of early unsuccessful termination of the procedures (Odds Ratio 0.662, p < 0.001). The proportion of MTD decreased over the study period (30.9 % until 2009 vs. 16.6 % from 2010, p < 0.001) while rates of critical limb-threatening ischemia (34.5 % vs. 42.1 %), patients´ age (70 vs. 72 years), PVI below-the-knee (BTK) (13.2 % vs. 22.4 %), and rates of severe TASC C/D lesions BTK (43.2 % vs. 54.2 %) increased (all p < 0.001). Utilization of MTD was different between medical specialties with lowest frequency in procedures performed by internists when compared to other medical specialties (7.1 % vs. 25.7 %, p < 0.001). Conclusions: MTD prior to PVI is associated with technical success of the procedure. Nonetheless, rates of MTD prior to PVI are decreasing during the study period. Future studies should address the impact of multidisciplinary vascular teams on long-term outcomes.

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The impact of the use of a footrest on the quality of chest compressions. A prospective, randomized, cross-sectional study

Postępy Nauk Medycznych ◽

10.25121/pnm.2018.31.3.133 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Jolanta Majer ◽

Sandra Pyda ◽

Jerzy Robert Ladny ◽

Antonio Rodriguez-Nunez ◽

Lukasz Szarpak

Keyword(s):

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Chest Compressions ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact

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Correlation of Altmetric Attention Scores with Citations in Major Pharmacy Journals (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.13129 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Dave L Dixon ◽

William L Baker

Keyword(s):

Citation Count ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Scientific Output ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Promotion And Tenure ◽

Article Type ◽

Key Factor ◽

Number Of Citations ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND The impact and quality of a faculty members publications is a key factor in promotion and tenure decisions and career advancement. Traditional measures, including citation counts and journal impact factor, have notable limitations. Since 2010, alternative metrics have been proposed as another means of assessing the impact and quality of scholarly work. The Altmetric Attention Score is an objective score frequently used to determine the immediate reach of a published work across the web, including news outlets, blogs, social media, and more. Several studies evaluating the correlation between the Altmetric Attention Score and number of citations have found mixed results and may be discipline-specific. OBJECTIVE To determine the correlation between higher Altmetric Attention Scores and citation count for journal articles published in major pharmacy journals. METHODS This cross-sectional study evaluated articles from major pharmacy journals ranked in the top 10% according to the Altmetric Attention Score. Sources of attention that determined the Altmetric Attention Score were obtained, as well each articles open access status, article type, study design, and topic. Correlation between journal characteristics, including the Altmetric Attention Score and number of citations, was assessed using the Spearman’s correlation test. A Kruskal-Wallis 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the Altmetric Attention Scores between journals. RESULTS Six major pharmacy journals were identified. A total of 1,376 articles were published in 2017 and 137 of these represented the top 10% with the highest Altmetric Attention Scores. The median Altmetric Attention Score was 19 (IQR 15-28). Twitter and Mendeley were the most common sources of attention. Over half (56.2%) of the articles were original investigations and 49.8% were either cross-sectional, qualitative, or cohort studies. No significant correlation was found between the Altmetric Attention Score and citation count (rs=0.07, P = 0.485). Mendeley was the only attention source that correlated with the number of citations (rs=0.486, P<0.001). The median Altmetric Attention Score varied widely between each journal (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The overall median Altmetric Attention score of 19 suggests articles published in major pharmacy journals are near the top 5% of all scientific output. However, we found no correlation between the Altmetric Attention Score and number of citations for articles published in major pharmacy journals in the year 2017.

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Impact of Community-Led Total Sanitation and Hygiene on Prevalence of Diarrheal Disease and Associated Factors among Under-Five Children: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study in Selected Woredas of Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Advances in Public Health ◽

10.1155/2020/8237101 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Agune Ashole Alto ◽

Wanzahun Godana ◽

Genet Gedamu

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Diarrheal Disease ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Under Five ◽

Under Five Children ◽

Sanitation And Hygiene ◽

The Impact ◽

Gamo Gofa

Background. Diarrheal diseases are still one of the major causes of morbidity in under-five children in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ethiopia, diarrhea is responsible for 9% of all deaths and is the major cause of under-five mortality. Objective. To assess the impact of community-led total sanitation and hygiene on the prevalence of diarrheal disease and factors associated among under-five children in Gamo Gofa Zone. Methods. Community-based comparative cross-sectional study design was used to compare the impact of community-led total sanitation and hygiene intervention on under-five diarrheal disease. Multistage sampling method was employed. The data were collected by using pretested structured questionnaires. Data quality was ensured by daily supervision completeness and consistency. The data were coded, entered, and cleaned by using Epi Info version 7 and were analyzed by using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were carried out by using binary logistic regression. Significance was declared by using p value of <0.05 and AOR with 95% confidence intervals. Results. The response rate of this study was 93.3%. The overall diarrhea prevalence was 27.5% (CI = (24.06, 30.97)) which was 18.9% (CI = (14.94, 23.2)) in implemented and 36.2%. (CI = (30.41, 41.59)) in nonimplemented woredas. Children whose age was between 12 and 23 months (AOR = 1.6) and greater than 24 months (AOR = 5), availability of handwashing facilities (AOR = 4), disposal of waste in open field (AOR = 9.7), unimproved source of drinking water (AOR = 6.5), using only water for handwashing (AOR = 6), children who started complementary feeding less than 6 months (AOR = 5.6) and greater than 6 months (AOR = 5.2), and utensils used to feed children such as bottle (AOR = 3.9) were the factors positively associated with diarrhea. Conclusion. The overall prevalence of under-five diarrhea was 27.5%. The prevalence was low in CLTSH woredas as compared with non-CLTSH woredas. The study showed that handwashing facility, using only water for handwashing, open refuse disposal, and unimproved source of drinking water among under-five had a statistically significant association with diarrhea occurrence in CLTSH nonimplemented areas. Integrated efforts are needed from the Ministry of Health together with the WASH Project in improving drinking water, handwashing facilities, and solid waste disposal practices.

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