scholarly journals Exploring Pathways of Socioeconomic Inequity in Vegetable Expenditure Among Consumers Participating in a Grocery Loyalty Program in Quebec, Canada, 2015–2017

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Ma ◽  
Cameron McRae ◽  
Yun-Hsuan Wu ◽  
Laurette Dubé
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Median Income ◽  
High Income Group ◽  
Loyalty Program ◽  
Processing Level ◽  
Expenditure Share ◽  
Stratified Analysis ◽  
Socioeconomic Inequity

Vegetable consumption remains consistently low despite supportive policy and investments across the world. Vegetables are available in great variety, ranging in their processing level, availability, cost, and arguably, nutritional value. A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted in Quebec, Canada to explore pathways of socioeconomic inequity in vegetable expenditure. Data was obtained for consumers who participated in a grocery loyalty program from 2015 to 2017 and linked to the 2016 Canadian census. Vegetable expenditure share (%) was examined as a fraction of the overall food basket and segmented by processing level. Panel random effects and tobit models were used overall and to estimate the stratified analysis by median income split. Consumers allocated 8.35% of their total food expenditure to vegetables, which was mostly allocated to non-processed fresh (6.88%). Vegetable expenditure share was the highest in early winter and lowest in late summer. In the stratified analysis, the low-income group exhibited less seasonal variation, allocated less to fresh vegetables, and spent more on canned and frozen compared to the high-income group. Measures of socioeconomic status were all significant drivers of overall vegetable consumption. Consumers with high post-secondary education in the low-income group spent 2% more on vegetables than those with low education. The complexity of observed expenditure patterns points to a need for more specific vegetable consumption guidelines that include provisions by processing level. Implications for education, marketing, intersectional policies, and the role of government are discussed. Governments can scale present efforts and catalyze health-promoting investments across local, state, national, and global food systems.

scholarly journals Disparities in fresh fruit and vegetable intake by sociodemographic and behavioural factors among adults in China

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Li Li ◽  
Yifei Ouyang ◽  
Huijun Wang ◽  
Feifei Huang ◽  
Yun Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Fruit Intake ◽  
High Income Group ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
Behavioural Factors

Abstract Objective: To measure the associations of sociodemographic and behavioural factors with fruit and vegetable consumption among adults in China. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: A 2015 wave of the China Health and Nutrition Survey. Participants: Totally, 11 910 adults aged 18 to 64 years. Results: Adjusted log binomial regression analyses showed that adults with higher income levels had higher fruit intake than those with low income levels (medium income group, risk ratio (RR): 1·28; 95 % CI: 1·16, 1·41; high income group, RR: 1·58; 95 % CI: 1·43, 1·74). Current smokers had lower fruit intake than non-smokers (RR: 0·86; 95 % CI: 0·77, 0·96). Adults living in southern China had higher vegetable intake (RR: 1·88; 95 % CI: 1·76, 2·01) but lower fruit intake (RR: 0·85; 95 % CI: 0·79, 0·91) than adults in northern China. With increasing age, adults had higher fruit intake (50–64 years, RR: 1·20; 95 % CI: 1·09, 1·33; reference category 18–34 years) and higher vegetable intake (35–49 years, RR: 1·13; 95 % CI: 1·05, 1·22; 50–64 years, RR: 1·22; 95 % CI: 1·13, 1·31). Conclusions: Our findings identify a range of sociodemographic and behavioural factors associated with fruit and vegetable consumption among Chinese adults. They also point to the need for public health nutrition interventions for socially disadvantaged populations in China.

scholarly journals Income level and outcomes in patients with heart failure with universal health coverage

Heart ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. heartjnl-2020-316793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chung-Lieh Hung ◽  
Tze-Fan Chao ◽  
Cheng-Huang Su ◽  
Jo-Nan Liao ◽  
Kuo-Tzu Sung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Mortality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Income Group ◽  
High Income ◽  
Median Income ◽  
High Income Group ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Hospitalised Patients ◽  
Patients With Heart Failure ◽  
Universal Health

ObjectiveWe aimed to investigate the influence of income level on guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) prescription rates and prognosis of patients with heart failure (HF) following implementation of a nationwide health insurance programme.MethodsA total of 633 098 hospitalised patients with HF from 1996 to 2013 were identified from Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Participants were classified into low-income, median-income and high-income groups. GDMT utilisation, in-hospital mortality and postdischarge HF readmission, and mortality rates were compared.ResultsThe low-income group had a higher comorbidity burden and was less likely to receive GDMT than the other two groups. The in-hospital mortality rate in the low-income group (5.07%) was higher than in the median-income (2.47%) and high-income (2.51%) groups. Compared with the high-income group, the low-income group had a significantly higher risk of postdischarge HF readmission (adjusted HR (aHR): 1.29, 95% CI 1.27 to 1.31), all-cause mortality (aHR: 1.98, 95% CI 1.95 to 2.02) and composite HF readmission/all-cause mortality (aHR: 1.54, 95% CI 1.52 to 1.56). These results were generally consistent among the population after propensity matching (low vs high: HR=2.08 for mortality and 1.36 for HF readmission; median vs high: HR=1.23 for mortality and 1.12 for HF readmission; all p<0.001) and after inverse probability of treatment weighting (low-income vs high-income group: HR: 2.19 for mortality and 1.16 for HF readmission; median-income vs high-income group: HR: 1.53 for mortality and 1.09 for HF readmission; all p<0.001). Lower utilisation of GDMT and poorer prognosis in lower-income hospitalised patients with HF appeared to mitigate over time.ConclusionsLow-income patients with HF had nearly a twofold increase in the risk of in-hospital mortality and postdischarge events compared with the high-income group, partly due to lower GDMT utilisation. The differences between postdischarge HF outcomes among various income groups appeared to mitigate over time following the implementation of nationwide universal health coverage.

scholarly journals The Impact of Urban Recreation Environment on Residents’ Happiness—Based on a Case Study in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5549
Author(s):  
Lei Kang ◽  
Zhaoping Yang ◽  
Fang Han
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
Objective Evaluation ◽  
Income Group ◽  
High Income Group ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Indirect Impact ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Urban Recreation

Rapid urbanization promotes the expansion of urban tourism and recreation functions, but it also brings many problems, which affect residents’ happiness. Previous studies have emphasized the direct impact of urban recreation environment on happiness, and few have explored the indirect impact of urban recreation environment on happiness through subjective evaluation. Based on the survey data of nearly 10,000 permanent residents in 40 key tourism cities in China, this paper establishes a theoretical framework of the direct and indirect impact of urban recreation environment on happiness. The objective evaluation of natural recreation environment and sociocultural recreation environment has an important influence on happiness, but the influence of natural recreation environment is greater than that of sociocultural recreation environment. Individual subjective satisfaction with urban recreation environment mediates the relationship between urban objective environment and happiness. Urban parks have a positive effect on happiness, while tourist attractions have a negative effect. The influence of urban location on happiness is nonlinear. The high-income group is more sensitive to the recreation environment, while the low-income group is less sensitive to the recreation environment. These findings provide insights for further improving citizens’ quality of life and designing urban construction in developing countries under the conditions of rapid urbanization.

scholarly journals SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AFFECTING PATIENT COMPLIANCE TO LONG-TERM THERAPIES

2021 ◽  
pp. 59-62
Author(s):  
SHAKEEL AHMAD MIR
Keyword(s):  
Patient Compliance ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
High Income Group ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Adherence Scale ◽  
Study Population

Objective: The aim is to study the effect of various sociodemographic factors on patient compliance in long-term therapies. Methods: This is a questionnaire-based study of 195 adult outdoor patients suffering from chronic illnesses and receiving long-term drug therapy. Various sociodemographic factors were noted in a validated questionnaire. Questions about drugs being taken were asked. The compliance was measured by General Medication Adherence Scale. Results: The study population consists of 51.3% of males and 48.7% of females. About 39.0% of participants were literate and 61.0% were illiterate. About 72.3% belonged to the rural area, 13.3% urban, and 14.4% to the main city. About 33.3% were self-employed or unemployed, 17.4% government employees, and 49.3% were private employees. About 20.0% belonged to high-income group, and 40.0% to middle- and 40.0% to low-income group. Statistically significant correlation was found between compliance and age, gender, area of residence, education, and marital status (p<0.05). Better compliance was observed in men, unmarried,middle-aged, literate, and urban populations. Conclusions: We conclude that some sociodemographic factors correlate with compliance to long-term therapies.

scholarly journals Healthy living practices in families and child health: 5-year follow-up of Taiwan Birth Cohort Study

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e033613
Author(s):  
Yi-Ching Lin ◽  
Yi-Fan Li ◽  
Tung-liang Chiang
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Birth Cohort Study ◽  
High Income Group ◽  
School Age ◽  
Healthy Living ◽  
High Level ◽  
Taiwan Birth Cohort Study

ObjectivesWe have previously developed the Child Healthy Living Practices in Family (CHLPF) Index and found that the CHLPF Index was concurrently associated with the health of children at age 3. In this follow-up study, we aimed to examine whether healthy living practices in family at age 3 predicted health of children at school age.Design and settingData came from the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study designed to assess the development and health of 24 200 children born in 2005.ParticipantsA total of 18 553 cohort members whose mothers or primary caregivers had completed 6-month, 3-year, 5-year and 8-year surveys were included for analysis, representing a response rate of 87.3%.Outcome measuresA multiple logistic regression model was used to test the relationship between mother-rated children’s health at age 8 and the CHLPF Index level, after controlling for sex, birth outcomes, family structure, parental education, residential area, family income and mother-rated child’s health at age 3.ResultsThe percentage of mother-rated good health at age 8 was 79.7%. Compared with the low CHLPF level, the adjusted OR of mother-rated good health was 1.38 (95% CI 1.19 to 1.60), 1.21 (95% CI 1.10 to 1.35) and 1.17 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.29), respectively, for high, high–low and mid-low CHLPF levels. Moreover, the prevalence of mother-rated good health at age 8 with high-level CHLPF Index in the low-income group was similar to that of the high-income group (83.72% vs 84.18%); the prevalence with low-level CHLPF Index in the low-income group was much lower than that of the high-income group (70.21% vs 78.98%).ConclusionsOur study underscores that high level of healthy living practices in early childhood is positively associated with good health at school age, particularly for children from disadvantaged families.

scholarly journals Nonlinear Dynamics in the Finance-Inequality Nexus in China-CHNS Data

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Masudur Rahman ◽  
Guan Fuquan ◽  
Laila Arjuman Ara
Keyword(s):  
Financial Development ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Income Group ◽  
High Income Group ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Linear Effect ◽  
Quantile Regression Model ◽  
Income Groups ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact

This paper empirically investigates the effects of financial development on incomes of Chinese residents particularly within various income groups using data from six provinces by applying the Quantile Regression model. The Greenwood and Jovanovich hypothesis that illustrates the inverted U shaped relationship between financial development and income inequality is tested. This empirical study demonstrates that financial development has a positive but non-linear effect on the annual income of individuals from various income groups at different quantiles. The effect is an inverted U or Kuznets effect indicating an increase at first and then a drop. As for the distribution of the impact on various income groups, the low-income group is under the most dominant influence followed by the high-income group with the middle-income groups receiving relatively smaller influence. Findings indicate that promoting balanced financial development would help to ease the income gap between Chinese residents.

scholarly journals Heterogeneous Impacts of Basic Social Health Insurance on Medical Expenditure: Evidence from China’s New Cooperative Medical Scheme

Healthcare ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang ◽  
He ◽  
Rozelle ◽  
Shi ◽  
Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Social Health Insurance ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Medical Expenditure ◽  
High Income Group ◽  
New Cooperative Medical Scheme ◽  
Health Group ◽  
Cooperative Medical Scheme ◽  
Low Income Groups

This paper examines the effects of China’s New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) on medical expenditure. Utilizing the quasi-random rollout of the NCMS for a difference-in-difference analysis, we find that the NCMS increased medical expenditure by 12.3%. Most significantly, the good-health group witnessed a 22.1% rise in medical expenditure, and the high-income group saw a rise of 20.6%. The effects, however, were not significant among the poor-health or low-income groups. The findings are suggestive of the need for more help for the very poor and less healthy.

scholarly journals Long-Term Effect of Income Level on Mortality after Stroke: A Nationwide Cohort Study in South Korea

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (22) ◽  
pp. 8348
Author(s):  
Seungmin Jeong ◽  
Sung-il Cho ◽  
So Yeon Kong
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Income Level ◽  
High Income ◽  
High Income Group ◽  
Stroke Mortality ◽  
Stroke Event ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Medical Aid ◽  
Post Stroke

We investigated whether income level has long-term effects on mortality rate in stroke patients and whether this varies with time after the first stroke event, using the National Health Insurance Service National Sample Cohort data from 2002 to 2015 in South Korea. The study population was new-onset stroke patients ≥18 years of age. Patients were categorized into Category (1) insured employees and Category (2) insured self-employed/Medical Aid beneficiaries. Each category was divided into three and four income level groups, retrospectively. The study population comprised of 11,668 patients. Among the Category 1 patients (n = 7720), the low-income group’s post-stroke mortality was 1.15-fold higher than the high-income group. Among the Category 2 patients (n = 3948), the lower income groups had higher post-stroke mortality than the high-income group (middle-income, aOR (adjusted odds ratio) 1.29; low-income, aOR 1.70; Medical Aid beneficiaries, aOR 2.19). In this category, the lower income groups’ post-stroke mortality risks compared to the high-income group were highest at 13–36 months after the first stroke event(middle-income, aOR 1.52; low-income, aOR 2.31; Medical Aid beneficiaries, aOR 2.53). Medical Aid beneficiaries had a significantly higher post-stroke mortality risk than the high-income group at all time points.

scholarly journals A PROPOSAL FOR AFFORDABLE WAQF HOUSING PROJECTS IN MALAYSIA: PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF HOUSE CHARACTERISTICS

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Azizan Che Embi ◽  
Salina Kassim ◽  
Roslily Ramlee ◽  
Wan Rohaida Wan Husain
Keyword(s):  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Housing Prices ◽  
Housing Price ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Housing Affordability ◽  
High Income Group ◽  
Housing Projects

Housing affordability is important to ensure houses are affordable to everyone across all income categories, whether they are in the low-income, middle-income (M40), or high-income group. Building housing projects on waqf land will help increase the supply of affordable houses, especially targeted at the M40 group, while also addressing the shortage of affordable housing for the M40 cohort. This study analyses public perceptions of house characteristics and relate these factors to affordable housing prices. The independent variables are location, infrastructure, facilities, size, design and quality. By applying a quantitative research design, the study aims to understand the relationship between various demanded housing characteristics vis-a-vis the price of the house. A sample of 261 usable responses was analysed using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results show that house size is not statistically significant in influencing the housing price, while location, infrastructure and design of the house are positively significant factors. These findings are expected to provide important inputs to the relevant authorities on factors that are critical in influencing the prices of housing projects built on waqf land in Malaysia.

scholarly journals Prevalence and determinants of using complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of chronic illnesses: A multicenter study in Bangladesh

PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0262221
Author(s):  
Md. Shahjalal ◽  
Samar Kishor Chakma ◽  
Tanvir Ahmed ◽  
Irin Yasmin ◽  
Rashidul Alam Mahumud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Income Group ◽  
High Income ◽  
Chronic Illnesses ◽  
High Income Group ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Background While conventional medicine (CM) is commonly used to treat non-communicable diseases (NCDs), complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is gaining popularity as a healthcare option in Bangladesh. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with using CAM solely and using CAM in conjunction with CM for chronic illness treatment among NCD patients in Bangladesh. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted, including 549 adults with a confirmed chronic illness diagnosis from three tertiary care hospitals in Dhaka city. Interviews were used to gather socio-demographic data, while medical records were used to get information on chronic illnesses. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to determine the associated factors of utilizing CAM primarily and CAM use in conjunction with CM to manage the chronic disease. Results Out of 549 NCD patients (282 women [51.4%], mean [standard deviation] age 45.4 [12.8] years), 180 (32.8%) ever used CAM for the treatment of chronic illness. Also, 15.3% of patients exclusively used CAM among the NCD patients, while 17.5% used CAM in conjunction with CM. Homeopathy medicine was the most prevalent type of treatment among CAM users (52.2%). Furthermore, 55.5% of CAM users said they used it due to its less adverse effects, and 41.6% trusted its effectiveness for chronic illness. Elderly patients (≥60 years) preferred CAM in complementary with CM, but they did not rely only on CAM. According to the multinomial regression analysis, unmarried patients, predominantly in the younger age group, adopted CAM significantly for chronic illness treatment (Relative risk ratio, RRR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.12–0.71, reference = Unmarried). Patients in the high-income group used CAM in conjunction with CM (RRR = 6.26, 95% CI = 1.35–18.90, reference: low-income), whereas patients in the high-income group did not rely on CAM alone (RRR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.34–2.85). Conclusion Although CM remains the mainstream of health care in Bangladesh, CAM services play an essential role in people’s health care, particularly in treating chronic illnesses. Physicians of Bangladesh should be aware that their patients may be using other services and be prepared to ask and answer questions regarding the risks and benefits of using CAM in addition to regular medical care. Thus, clinicians required to follow best-practice guidelines, which are currently not practiced in Bangladesh, when disseminating information regarding integrative techniques that combine CM and CAM approaches.

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