scholarly journals It’s Sunny, Be Healthy? An International Comparison of the Influence of Sun Exposure and Latitude Lines on Self-Rated Health

Author(s):  
Sandra Jaworeck ◽  
Peter Kriwy

The positive impact of sunshine on self-rated health is well known. For the first time, the relationship between sunshine and self-rated health is examined in the context of latitude lines in international comparison. The further people live from the equator, the lower sun exposure (UVB exposure) and the more often they experience a vitamin D deficiency. UVB exposure decreases with degrees of latitudinal lines, and in addition to that, sunshine duration is shorter in northern countries. In order to consider the connection, sunshine duration and degree of latitude lines were manually enriched from the German Meteorological Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst) to the International Social Survey Programs (2011): Health and Health Care and analyzed with a logistic multilevel model, as well as the inclusion of sunshine duration as a mediator. If sunshine hours, as well as latitude lines, are considered separately in models, both show a statistically significant effect. Together in one model, the sunshine hours lose their relationship and additionally there is no mediation. This suggests that the location of the region is the decisive component when considering self-rated health. Furthermore, an interaction between age and sunshine hours as well as latitude lines is also shown.

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1527-1540
Author(s):  
Muhammad Asim Afridi ◽  
Muhammad Tahir ◽  
Aziz Ullah Sayal ◽  
Imran Naseem

PurposeThe African region has experienced relatively lower economic growth and higher outflow of migration over the years. The purpose of this research paper, therefore, is to focus on the African region to investigate whether or not there is any link between the poor economic growth and rising outflow of migration.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical data spanning from 1990 to 2015 are collected from reliable sources for 41 countries belonging to the African region. Appropriate estimating methodology that controls for unobserved heterogeneity both across time and across countries, and endogeneity is employed.FindingsThe results revealed that the migration has adversely influenced the economic growth of the African region as a whole. The splitting of sample into male and female migration also reflected the fact that the unsatisfied economic growth of the African region could be explained by the ever rising migration level. Other determinants such as employment and growth of physical capital have helped the region in the growth journey. Human capital has not played a vital role in economic growth as it is adversely affected by migration. Further, the study found support for the positive impact of moderate inflation on economic growth. The obtained results are robust to alternative methodologies and hence would be beneficial for policymakers.Originality/valueThe present study provides for the first time comprehensive empirical evidence on the relationship between migration and economic growth by focusing on Africa. Therefore, this study would be of prime importance for policymakers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-58
Author(s):  
Pildoo Sung ◽  
Joonmo Son

This study aims to examine the relationship between types of interpersonal trust and health in East Asia. We doubt that generalized trust toward “most people” is a valid and reliable measure of interpersonal trust in East Asia. We thus employ specific measures of in-group and out-group trust to test whether and how each type of trust is associated with self-rated health. We use data from the 2012 East Asian Social Survey administered in China ( n = 5819), Japan ( n = 2335), South Korea ( n = 1396), and Taiwan ( n = 2314) with response rates of 71%, 59%, 56%, and 52%, respectively. Empirical test produces three major findings. First, in-group trust is consistently associated with self-rated health in all four countries, whereas out-group trust is related to health only in Taiwan. By contrast, generalized trust is related to health only in Korea. Second, perceived social support mediates partially of the relationship between in-group trust and self-rated health in China, Japan, and Taiwan. Third, the health benefit of in-group trust is more pronounced in Korea than in China. This study thus calls for the need to use measures of specific types of trust because they are more sensitive in detecting both international and intra-regional variations of health.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-192
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Apergis ◽  
Nicholas Apergis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore, for the first time, the relationship between the prices of rare earth materials and economic growth. Renewable technologies and many high-demanded technologies need significant supplies of such materials. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a panel of the six most significant rare earth producers around the globe, as well as certain panel methodologies. Findings The empirical analysis indicates the presence of a positive impact of such minerals prices on economic growth. Causality methodologies also indicate unidirectional causality between GDP and the prices of rare earth materials, with the causality running from these prices to economic growth. The findings survive a number of robustness checks. Originality/value The claim that natural resources are a curse that makes the countries worse off is not supported for the case of rare earth materials. The results are expected to be of high importance, because these particular rare earth materials are extensively used in a huge list of technological products with high demand and low costs, while they are hard to be replaced.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lujun Su ◽  
Maxwell K. Hsu ◽  
Brian Huels

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the literature regarding negative information’s impact on consumer behavior in the context of tourism services. In addition, this paper empirically examines the likely difference between first-time and repeat tourists in terms of their: resistance to negative information.Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 539 visitors to Mount Yuelu, a popular tourist destination in China, this study explores the differences between first-time and repeat tourists regarding how destination social responsibility (DSR) and service quality (SQ) influence tourist resistance to negative information.Findings The effect of SQ on resistance to negative information is stronger for repeat tourists than for first-time tourists. In addition, the study identifies that DSR and SQ have a positive impact on tourists’ resistance to negative information. Finally, findings indicate that destination identification partially mediates the relationship between DSR, SQ and tourists’ response to negative information, respectively.Research limitations/implications The findings provide valuable theoretical and empirical insights into the driving factors that influence consumer resistance to negative information.Practical implications The paper brings together DSR, SQ and tourist-destination identification to better understand the impact that visitation frequency (first-time versus repeat tourists) has on how tourists resist negative information about a tourist destination.Social implications Negative information that is generated about a destination may cause the number of future tourism visits to decline. Findings of this paper provide insight as to the framework that can make tourists more resistant to said negative information.Originality/value This study contributes to the services marketing and tourism literature by investigating the degree to which DSR and SQ affect tourist resistance to negative information as mediated by tourist-destination identification and moderated by visiting frequency.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-141
Author(s):  
Kenneth D. Locke

Abstract. Person–job (or needs–supplies) discrepancy/fit theories posit that job satisfaction depends on work supplying what employees want and thus expect associations between having supervisory power and job satisfaction to be more positive in individuals who value power and in societies that endorse power values and power distance (e.g., respecting/obeying superiors). Using multilevel modeling on 30,683 European Social Survey respondents from 31 countries revealed that overseeing supervisees was positively associated with job satisfaction, and as hypothesized, this association was stronger among individuals with stronger power values and in nations with greater levels of power values or power distance. The results suggest that workplace power can have a meaningful impact on job satisfaction, especially over time in individuals or societies that esteem power.


2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gazi Islam ◽  
Sarah E. S. Zilenovsky

This note examines the relationship between affirmative action (AA) program perceptions and women’s self-ascribed capacity and desire to become leaders. We propose that women who believe that their organization implements a program of preferential selection toward women will experience negative psychological effects leading to lowered self-expectations for leadership, but that this effect will be moderated by their justice perceptions of AA programs. We test this proposition empirically for the first time with a Latin American female sample. Among Brazilian women managers, desire but not self-ascribed capacity to lead was reduced when they believed an AA policy was in place. Both desire’s and capacity’s relationships with belief in an AA policy were moderated by justice perceptions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Massoomeh Hedayati ◽  
Aldrin Abdullah ◽  
Mohammad Javad Maghsoodi Tilaki

There is continuous debate on the impact of house quality on residents’ health and well-being. Good living environment improves health, and fear of crime is recognised as a mediator in the relationship between physical environment and health. Since minimal studies have investigated the relationship, this study aims to examine the impact of the house quality on fear of crime and health. A total of 230 households from a residential neighbourhood in Malaysia participated in the study. Using structural equation modelling, the findings indicate that housing quality and fear of crime can account for a proportion of the variance in residents’ self-rated health. However, there is no significant relationship between housing quality and fear of crime. Results also show that fear of crime does not mediate the relationship between housing quality and health. This study suggests that the environment-fear relationship should be re-examined theoretically.  


2019 ◽  
pp. 42-44
Author(s):  
I.V. GUSAROV ◽  
V.A. OSTAPENKO ◽  
T.V. NOVIKOVА

Впервые в мире создана популяция зубров на территории 60 градусов северной широты. В новых климатических условиях разведения и сохранения зубров определены и проанализированы факторы существования вида на севере Европейской части РФ. Выявлены признаки, динамика численности, которые являются составной частью системы, предназначенной для управления биоразнообразием. Интродукция, являясь процессом введения в экосистему нехарактерных для нее видов, может усиливать изменения биоценозов как положительно, так и отрицательно. Насколько быстро и успешно проходит процесс адаптации заселенного вида, и усматривается его влияние на окружающую среду зависит дальнейшее существование зубров и в целом биоразнообразия. В статье обсуждаются вопросы взаимоотношения зубров с другими видами копытных и хозяйственной деятельностью человека, а также дальнейшим использованием зубров в сельскохозяйственном производстве. Пластичность зубров, выявление изменений и их анализ при вселении видов в новые условия обитания необходимы не только для определения развития или деградации биоценозов и в целом экосистемы, но и прогноза социально-экономических последствий интродукции как одного из методов сохранения редких и исчезающих видов фауны.For the first time in the world, a bison population has been created in an area of 60 degrees north latitude. In the new climatic conditions of breeding and preservation of bison, the factors of the species existence in the north of the European part of the Russian Federation are identified and analyzed. The signs, dynamics of abundance, which are an integral part of the system designed to manage biodiversity are identified, since the preservation of biological diversity on the planet is one of the main problems of our time. Introduction, being the process of introducing non-typical species into an ecosystem, can enhance changes in biocenoses, both positively and negatively. The question posing sounds especially when it comes to such a large hoofed animal as the European bison. How quickly and successfully the process of adaptation of the universe takes place and its environmental impact is seen depends on the continued existence of bison and biodiversity in general. The article discusses the relationship of bison with other types of ungulates and human activities, as well as the further use of bison in agricultural production. How these issues will be resolved positively depends on the future of these animals. Thus, the plasticity of bison, the identification of changes and their analysis, with the introduction of species into new habitat conditions is necessary not only to determine the development or degradation of biocenoses and the ecosystem as a whole, but also to predict the socio-economic consequences due to the introduction as one of the methods of preserving rare and endangered species of fauna.


1970 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 80-96
Author(s):  
Mayara Motta Melo ◽  
Clarissa Santos de Carvalho Ribeiro

RESUMOA incidência do câncer de pele vem aumentando a cada ano. Sabe-se que entre outros fatores, a radiação solar é a principal responsável pelo desenvolvimento dessa patologia. A prevenção, feita através da fotoproteção, teria grande impacto nesse cenário. No entanto, as orientações sobre como se proteger dos malefícios do sol devem ser coerentes com a incidência solar da região, os hábitos da população e o fototipo da pele. Os conceitos sobre fotoproteção foram definidos por entidades européias e norte americanas e não devem ser reproduzidos para o Brasil de forma aleatória, pois a incidência solar no Brasil é muito maior, a população tem fototipos diferentes e o hábito de se expor ao sol é muito mais frequente. Portanto, faz-se necessário elaborar conceitos próprios para o Brasil e conscientizar a população sobre os perigos da radiação solar para que a incidência do câncer de pele reduza definitivamente. Essa revisão visa mostrar a relação da radiação solar no Brasil com a pele dos brasileiros e evidenciar a importância da fotoproteção para essa população. Para isso foi feito um levantamento de artigos originais, revisões de literatura, consensos brasileiros e internacionais e livros de dermatologia.Palavras-chave: Fotoproteção, Câncer de pele, Exposição solar, Radiação ultravioleta, Vitamina D. ABSTRACTThe incidence of skin cancer is increasing every year. It is known that among other factors, solar radiation is the main responsible for the development of this pathology. Prevention, made by photoprotection, would have great impact in this scenario. However, the guidelines on how to protect themselves from the sun's harmful effects should be consistent with the sunlight of the region, the habits of the population and the phototype skin. The concepts of photoprotection were defined by European and North American entities and should not be played for Brazil at random, as the solar incidence in Brazil is much higher, people have different skin types and the habit of sun exposure is much more frequent. Therefore, it is necessary to draw up own concepts for Brazil and raise awareness about the dangers of solar radiation, so that the incidence of skin cancer can be definitely reduced. This review aims to show the relationship of solar radiation in Brazil with the skin of Brazilian and to highlight the importance of sun protection for this population. With this purpose, it was  made a survey of original articles, literature reviews , Brazilian and international consensus and dermatology books.Keywords: Photoprotection, Skin cancer, Sun exposure, Ultraviolet radiation, D vitamin.


Author(s):  
David Willetts

Universities have a crucial role in the modern world. In England, entrance to universities is by nation-wide competition which means English universities have an exceptional influence on schools--a striking theme of the book. This important book first investigates the university as an institution and then tracks the individual on their journey to and through university. In A University Education, David Willetts presents a compelling case for the ongoing importance of the university, both as one of the great institutions of modern society and as a transformational experience for the individual. The book also makes illuminating comparisons with higher education in other countries, especially the US and Germany. Drawing on his experience as UK Minister for Universities and Science from 2010 to 2014, the author offers a powerful account of the value of higher education and the case for more expansion. He covers controversial issues in which he was involved from access for disadvantaged students to the introduction of L9,000 fees. The final section addresses some of the big questions for the future, such as the the relationship between universities and business, especially in promoting innovation.. He argues that the two great contemporary trends of globalisation and technological innovation will both change the university significantly. This is an authoritative account of English universities setting them for the first time in their new legal and regulatory framework.


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