scholarly journals A Cluster Analysis of Risk Factors for Cancer across EU Countries: Health Policy Recommendations for Prevention

Author(s):  
Dawid Majcherek ◽  
Marzenna Anna Weresa ◽  
Christina Ciecierski

Cancer burden in the European Union (EU) is increasing and has stimulated the European Commission (EC) to develop strategies for cancer control. A common “one size fits all” prevention policy may not be effective in reducing cancer morbidity and mortality. The goal of this paper is to show that EU member states are not homogenous in terms of their exposure to risk factors for cancer (i.e., lifestyle, socio-economic status (SES), air pollution, and vaccination). Data from a variety of sources including Eurostat, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the European Health Interview Survey, Eurobarometer, and the European Environment Agency were merged across years 2013–2015 and used to develop a cluster analysis. This work identified four patterns of cancer prevention behaviors in the EU thus making it possible to group EU members states into four distinct country clusters including: sports-engaged countries, tobacco and pollutant exposed nations, unhealthy lifestyle countries, and a stimulant-enjoying cluster of countries. This paper finds that there is a need for closer collaboration among EU countries belonging to the same cluster in order to share best practices regarding health policy measures that might improve cancer control interventions locally and across the EU.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 9080
Author(s):  
Dawid Majcherek ◽  
Marzenna Anna Weresa ◽  
Christina Ciecierski

To date, no results have been published regarding cluster analysis of risk factors for cancer in Poland. Many cancer deaths are preventable through the modification of cancer risk behaviours. This study explores the multidisciplinary connection between lifestyle, environment and socio-economic status (SES). Cluster analyses indicate that major metropolitan areas and large industrial regions differ significantly in terms of SES, lifestyle and environment when compared with other parts of Poland. Our findings show that in order for interventions to be effective, cancer-prevention policy should be addressed on both local and national scales. While anti-cancer policies in Poland’s industrial regions should focus on air pollution, the country’s northern regions should aim to curb smoking, increase sports activity and improve SES. Policy interventions must target the root causes of cancer in each region of Poland and must account for SES.


Author(s):  
Vesna Janković-Milić ◽  
Vinko Lepojević ◽  
Jelena Stanković

Measuring poverty is of utmost importance for any economy in order to look at the extent and causes of the vulnerability of the population, but also to formulate social and economic policy measures and measure their effects. The multidimensionality of poverty makes it difficult to quantify and measure it. The subject of research is the components of the AROPE (At risk of poverty and social exclusion) indicator in the countries of the European Union (EU). Using the cluster analysis, the EU countries were grouped into homogeneous units, after which the significance of the difference in the average values of the analyzed indicators was tested. Based on the obtained results, the hypothesis of pronounced heterogeneity of EU countries from the aspect of poverty was confirmed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-401
Author(s):  
Erika Onuferová ◽  
Veronika Čabinová ◽  
Mária Matijová

AbstractThe main aim of the paper was to analyse the economic and social development of the European Union (EU) member states (28 countries) on the basis of selected five multicriteria indices (the Global Competitiveness Index, the Economic Freedom Index, the Global Innovation Index, the Corruption Perceptions Index, the Human Development Index). To perform settled aim, a multidimensional classification of EU countries for years 2011 and 2018 using cluster analysis was realized. The purpose of the analysis was to categorize the individual EU countries into clusters and to find out to what extent the position of EU member states has changed in terms of selected international indices over the analysed period. Based on the findings, it is arguable that a major part of the EU member states cluster into the same groups based on the selected indices assessment, regardless of the time period. However, six countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, and United Kingdom) improved their position during the period under review and ranked into the cluster of more prosperous countries in 2018. The rate of change (improvement) was quantified at the level of 21.43%. Based on the results, Latvia and Lithuania were the most similar countries in terms of economic prosperity (Euclidean distance reached the level of 3.08), while the least similar countries were Greece and Sweden (Euclidean distance reached the level of 70.8). Declining Euclidean distances indicate that economic disparities of the individual EU countries have decreased in the period under review. This paper aims at developing the research to find out how, besides hierarchy, we can analyse the EU member states from the perspective of various multicriteria indices. The four proposed clusters could be used as a starting point for future policy reforms, pointing to the weaknesses of various countries.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Rollnik-Sadowska ◽  
Edyta Dąbrowska

Research background: In the era of demographic changes and the need for rationalization of public expenditure, the European Union social policy promotes the activation approach. In addition, a growing importance of increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of public entities can be noticed. These phenomena are visible in the implementation of the labour market policy. However, the EU countries represent a different approach to spending public funds on issues related to the implementation of  labour market policy. Purpose of the article: The authors are presenting the main theoretical assumptions concerning effectiveness and efficiency of labour market policy. Moreover, in the paper the EU countries are classified in clusters according to their level of expenditure on different categories of LMP. A comparison of the situation over ten years — in 2004 and 2014 — has also been conducted. In 2004, ten new members entered the EU, and the year 2014 presents the most current data in the analyzed area. Methods: As a research method cluster analysis was applied. Cross-country labour market situation throughout the EU is presented by the analysis of the Eurostat data. The countries are grouped in clusters following Ward's and k-means methods. Findings & Value added: There is a need to work out a complex evaluation of labour market policies in the EU to provide comparative analysis of the EU countries (or groups of countries). It would allow to determine the level of development of the country in terms of the efficiency of labour market policies. The EU countries with the best labour market indicators represent diverse levels of LMP expenditure.


Author(s):  
Jana Lososová ◽  
Jaroslav Svoboda ◽  
Radek Zdeněk

This article is aimed at an analysis of operational subsidies on the Less Favoured Areas (LFA) in the European Union countries. With the help of cluster analysis, the EU countries were divided into groups and, using correlation and regression analyses, the relations between defined indicators were evaluate. The indicators of FADN EU related to the cultivated land area were completed with relative indicators. Some differences were proved in subsidy effectiveness between particular groups of the countries. The amount of operational subsidies only has a positive impact on subsidised costs in the mountain LFAs. Worse productive and climate conditions increase the dependence of the output on subsidies related to cost effectiveness. No dependence of the output share of subsidies and the subsidised costs was proven in all groups.


2020 ◽  
pp. 92-97
Author(s):  
A. V. Kuznetsov

The article examines the norms of international law and the legislation of the EU countries. The list of main provisions of constitutional and legal restrictions in the European Union countries is presented. The application of the norms is described Human rights conventions. The principle of implementing legal acts in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is considered. A comparative analysis of legal restrictive measures in the States of the European Union is carried out.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1570
Author(s):  
Tomasz Rokicki ◽  
Aleksandra Perkowska ◽  
Bogdan Klepacki ◽  
Piotr Bórawski ◽  
Aneta Bełdycka-Bórawska ◽  
...  

The paper’s main purpose was to identify and present the current situation and changes in energy consumption in agriculture in the European Union (EU) countries. The specific objectives were the determination of the degree of concentration of energy consumption in agriculture in the EU countries, showing the directions of their changes, types of energy used, and changes in this respect, establishing the correlation between energy consumption and changes in the economic and agricultural situation in the EU countries. All member states of the European Union were deliberately selected for research on 31 December 2018 (28 countries). The research period covered the years 2005–2018. The sources of materials were the literature on the subject, and data from Eurostat. Descriptive, tabular, and graphical methods were used to analyze and present materials, dynamics indicators with a stable base, Gini concentration coefficient, concentration analysis using the Lorenz curve, coefficient of variation, Kendall’s tau correlation coefficient, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. A high concentration of energy consumption in agriculture was found in several EU countries, the largest in countries with the largest agricultural sector, i.e., France and Poland. There were practically no changes in the concentration level. Only in the case of renewable energy, a gradual decrease in concentration was visible. More and more countries developed technologies that allow the use of this type of energy. However, the EU countries differed in terms of the structure of the energy sources used. The majority of the basis was liquid fuels, while stable and gaseous fuels were abandoned in favor of electricity and renewable sources—according to which, in the EU countries, the research hypothesis was confirmed: a gradual diversification of energy sources used in agriculture, with a systematic increase in the importance of renewable energy sources. The second research hypothesis was also confirmed, according to which the increase in the consumption of renewable energy in agriculture is closely related to the economy’s parameters. The use of renewable energy is necessary and results from concern for the natural environment. Therefore, economic factors may have a smaller impact.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 251-257
Author(s):  
Anzhelika L. Gendon ◽  
◽  
Galina F. Golubeva ◽  

The article examines the financial support (not tax) of the economy in the EU countries due to the pandemic. A comprehensive vision of the situation and strategic planning are the foundation of the Euro-pean Union's economic policy. These qualities help to develop comprehensive measures to stabilize the labor market and entrepreneurship in the countries of the European Union in the context of a global emergency. A positive factor is also the fact that in an epidemic situation, political decisions of various states are aimed at introducing socially oriented measures that support their citizens.


Author(s):  
Maryla Bieniek-Majka ◽  
Marta Guth

The aim of this study is to determine changes in the structure of horticultural farms in EU countries in the years 2007-2017 and their incomes and determine the share of subsidies of the Common Agricultural Policy in the income of horticultural farms in studied groups. Horticultural farms from the European Union Farm Accountancy Data Network (EUFADN) of all EU countries were surveyed. A dynamic analysis of the structure of farm numbers in particular groups of economic size (ES6) was carried out, and then the average change in income and the share of subsidies in income within these groups in 2007 and 2017 were presented. As a result of the conducted research, changes in the number of horticultural farms in various groups of economic size were taken into account and the assumptions concerning the decreasing scale of fragmentation of horticultural farms were confirmed by a decrease in the number of the economically weakest groups and an increase in the number of medium and large farms. It was noted that, in the studied groups, the strongest income growths concerned farms with medium or high economic strength, which may mean that income had a significant impact on the process. Moreover, it results from the conducted research that existing institutional solutions additionally supported the tendency to reduce the scale of fragmentation of horticultural farms in the EU-12 due to the fact that the shares of subsidies were higher in groups with higher economic strength.


Author(s):  
O. І. Shnyrkov ◽  
D. S. Pliushch

The article outlines the perspective benefits of deepening integration processes between Ukraine and the European Union. Groups of Ukrainian goods have been identified, which exports to the EU are increasing dynamically. EU countries have been identified in which exports from Ukraine have been growing rapidly in recent years. The relations and nature of Ukraine's trade with the EU countries have been analyzed. The conclusions on the development of trade potential after signing the Association Agreement with the EU have been formulated. The assessment of the Complementarity Index of Trade for Ukraine and the EU by 97 commodity groups according to the Ukrainian Classification of Goods for Foreign Economic Activity and the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System for 2011-2018 has been carried out. The dynamics of change of complementarity indices are analyzed and the predicted indices of the countries for 2019 and 2020 are calculated. It has been proven that mutual trade in a free trade area is mutually beneficial for Ukraine and the EU, as Ukraine and the EU benefit from increased trade, and establishing international partnerships between their businesses and organizations can be particularly beneficial in the long term perspective. It is proposed to deepen international industry cooperation in order to develop competitive advantages and strengthen its position both on the Ukrainian market and the European market.


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