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on Health Economics |
| By: | Chisako YAMAMOTO (Shonan University of Medical Sciences) |
| Abstract: | Objectives: Dementia is a priority health issue worldwide and becoming the most expensive disease of the 21st century. The World Health Organization has unanimously adopted a global plan of action on the public health response to dementia 2017-2025 at the 70th World Health Assembly in May 2017. One of the targets included in the plan is risk reduction. An unhealthy lifestyle and diet are likely to cause many diseases. This study aims to clarify lifestyle and dietary factors associating with dementia status in the community-dwelling elderly aged 65 years and older in a suburban town of Tokyo and to clarify gender differences in health behavior. Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were mailed to 2,069 elderly people in February 2004 and 1,538 were returned by addressees or proxies (response rate 74.3%). Institutionalized ones were excluded. Analysis subjects were comprised of 52 people with dementia (PWD), 173 people with probable dementia (PPD) and 1,211 cognitively intact people (CIP). Average age(sd) was 74.03(6.55) in men and 75.56(7.27) in women. Descriptive statistics, a chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U and Bonferroni?s multiple comparison tests were performed in men and women, respectively. Significance was set at 0.05 (0.0167 after Bonferroni correction). Lifestyle items included daytime lying hours, sleeping hours, walking/exercise, outing, pet caring, hobbies, smoking, alcohol consumption, cooking and breakfast. Diet items included meat/poultry, soy products, eggs, oily fish, dairy products, fruits, (cooked) vegetables, fried food and miso soup/soup. Results: The Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests revealed significant differences in most lifestyle items except smoking in men and women. Breakfast was significant only in women. As for diet items, only fruits and fried food were significant in men: CIP>PPD and/or PWD. Women showed significant differences in every diet items: mostly CIP>PPD and CIP>PWD and only fruits showed PPD>PWD. Conclusion: Though significant differences in lifestyle were weaker in men, CIP showed healthier lifestyle. In women CIP showed better health behavior both in lifestyle and diet. Exercise, social and mental activities like outing and hobbies, moderate alcohol consumption and food items above are recommended to prevent or delay the onset of dementia by Alzheimer?s Society. This study, along with Japanese women?s better lifestyle, has the same implications associating with dementia risk reduction. It also suggests that Japanese diet ?Washoku? (a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage) which is nutritionally well-balanced contributes to better health status as Japanese women enjoy the longest longevity in the world. |
| Keywords: | dementia, the community-dwelling elderly aged 65 years and older, lifestyle, diet, factors associating with dementia status, risk reduction, health behavior. |
| JEL: | I18 |
| Date: | 2017–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iacpro:5808076&r=hea |
| By: | Sarinthorn Munghhamanee (Senior lecturer/ nurse in Maternal and Newborn Nursing & Midwifery); Wilawan Dhanawan (Senior lecturer/ nurse in Pediatric Nursing); Siriporn Chudjuajean (Senior lecturer/ nurse in Maternal and Newborn Nursing & Midwifery) |
| Abstract: | This research was conducted with the objective of investigating the experiences of full-time working mothers who exclusively breastfeed for six months. This study employed phenomenology in line with the concept of Husserl. The informants for the study comprised thirteen full-time working mothers who with exclusive breastfeeding experience over the past two years and success in exclusive breastfeeding for six months. Data was collected by conducting in-depth interviews and content analysis under the method of Colaizzi (1978).The findings on the experiences of the full-time working mothers who exclusively breastfed for six months were categorized into the following three groups: 1) The meaning of breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months was a) exclusively breastfeeding for six months is symbolic of the perfect family; b) exclusively breastfeeding for six months is best for the baby; c) exclusively breastfeeding for six months is a maternal role and duty, combined with feelings of maternal pride, breastfeeding joy, mother-child contentment, maternal kindness, self-worth and attachment; 2) the reasons for exclusively breastfeeding for six months were three-fold a) intention and determination; b) previous experience and witnessing examples; c) supportive encouragement and motivation and 3) the management of exclusively breastfeeding for six months comprised the following: a) planning for exclusive breastfeeding; b) period of return to work; c) management of problems and barriers to exclusive breastfeeding occurring during the preparation period for returning to full-time work. These research findings provide understanding about the perceptions, feelings and experiences of full-time working mothers who exclusively breastfeed for six months, which may be used as a guideline for the development of a holistic nursing practice guideline aimed at effectively promoting successful exclusive breastfeeding for six months. |
| Keywords: | experiences, full-time working mothers, exclusively breastfeed |
| JEL: | I19 A39 J13 |
| Date: | 2017–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iacpro:5808000&r=hea |
| By: | Taku Yamamoto (Hitotsubashi University); Hiroaki Chigira (Tohoku University) |
| Abstract: | Forecasting mortality has been a vital issue in demography and actuarial science. It also has profound implications for pension plan and long-term economic forecasts of the nation. In the present paper we examine various forecasting methods for mortality in the framework of cointegrated time series analysis. The Lee-Carter (LC) method has been regarded as the benchmark for forecasting mortality. However, its forecasting accuracy has been known to be particularly poor for short-term forecasts, while it is well for long-term forecasts. Recently, a new methods called the multivariate time series variance component (MTV) method has been proposed which explicitly satisfies cointegration restrictions of the series. It overcomes weak points of the LC method. In the present paper we propose two new methods. The first one is the modified MTV (mMTV) method which modifies the MTV method in order to get more accurate forecast of the trend component of the method. The second is the all-component Lee-Carter (LCA) method which generalizes the Lee-Carter method, by using all principal components, in order to improve short-term forecasts of the LC method. However, it may be noted that the LCA method does not satisfy cointegration restrictions. We analytically compare forecasting accuracy of the proposed methods with the Lee-Carter method and the MTV method in the framework of cointegrated time series. We further compare them in a Monte Carlo experiment and in an empirical application of forecasting mortality for Japanese male. It is shown that the mMTV method is generally the most accurate in the Monte Carlo experiment and in Japanese data. The MTV method works almost as well. However, since the drift estimator is inefficient, it is slightly less accurate than the mMTV method in some occasions. The forecast accuracy of the LCA method is reasonably high and can be equivalent to the mMTV method in some occasions, but is generally inferior to the MTV method and the mMTV method. As expected, the LC method is the worst among methods examined in the present study. The mMTV method is recommended for practical use. |
| Keywords: | Time Series ModelsForecasting MethodsCointegrated ProcessMortality. |
| JEL: | C01 C32 C53 |
| Date: | 2017–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iacpro:5808110&r=hea |
| By: | Eric French (University College London) |
| Abstract: | This paper assesses the effect of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the labor supply of Americans ages 50 and older. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we estimate a dynamic programming model of retirement that accounts for both saving and uncertain medical expenses. Importantly, we model the two key channels by which health insurance rates are predicted to change: the Medicaid expansion and the subsidized private exchanges. |
| Date: | 2017 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:red:sed017:1025&r=hea |
| By: | Jose Manuel Aburto Flores (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany); Alyson A. van Raalte (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany) |
| Abstract: | Central and Eastern Europe have experienced considerable instability in mortality since the 1960s. Long periods of stagnating life expectancy were followed by rapid increases in life expectancy and in some cases even more rapid declines before more recent periods of improvement. These trends have been well documented but to date, no study has comprehensively explored trends in lifespan variation. We improve such analyses by incorporating life disparity as a health indicator alongside life expectancy. We analyzed how lifespan variation has changed since the 1960s for 12 countries from the region and determined the ages which have contributed the most to the observed variability in age at death. Furthermore, we quantified the effect of mortality related to alcohol consumption on life disparity since 1994. Our results showed that life disparity was high and strongly fluctuating over the time period. Life expectancy and life disparity moved independently from one another, particularly during periods of life expectancy stagnation. Fluctuations in mortality were, to a large extent, directly or partially attributable to changes in alcohol consumption. These trends run counter to the common patterns observed in most developed countries and contribute to the life expectancy-disparity discussion by showing that expansion/compression levels do not necessarily mean lower/higher life expectancy or mortality deterioration/improvements. |
| Keywords: | Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, age at death, alcoholism, causes of death, differential mortality, inequality, life expectancy |
| JEL: | J1 Z0 |
| Date: | 2017–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2017-018&r=hea |
| By: | Clark, Andrew E.; Lee, Tom |
| Abstract: | We here use data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) to provide one of the first analyses of the distal (early-life) and proximal (later-life) correlates of older-life subjective well-being. Unusually, we have two distinct measures of the latter: happiness and eudaimonia. Even after controlling for proximal covariates, outcomes at age 18 (IQ score, parental income and parental education) remain good predictors of well-being over 50 years later. In terms of the proximal covariates, mental health and social participation are the strongest predictors of both measures of well-being in older age. However, there are notable differences in the other correlates of happiness and eudaimonia. As such, well-being policy will depend to an extent on which measure is preferred. |
| Keywords: | Life-course, well-being, eudaimonia, health, happiness |
| Date: | 2017–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpm:docweb:1706&r=hea |
| By: | Costa-Font, Joan; Frank, Richard; Swartz, Katherine |
| Abstract: | Home equity is the primary self-funding mechanism for long term services and supports (LTSS). Using data from the relevant waves of the Health and Retirement Study (1996-2010), we exploit the exogenous variation in the form of wealth shocks resulting from the value of housing assets, to examine the effect of wealth on use of home health, unpaid help and nursing home care by older adults. We find a significant increase in the use of paid home health care and unpaid informal care but no effect on nursing home care access. We conduct a placebo test on individuals who do not own property; their use of LTSS was not affected by the housing wealth changes. The findings suggest that a wealth shock exerts a positive and significant effect on the uptake of home health and some effect on unpaid care but no significant effect on nursing home care. |
| JEL: | N0 |
| Date: | 2017–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:84212&r=hea |
| By: | Perera, G.; Di Gessa, G.; Corna, L. M.; Glaser, K.; Stewart, R. |
| Abstract: | Associations between employment status and mental health are well recognised, but evidence is sparse on the relationship between paid employment and mental health in the years running up to statutory retirement ages using robust mental health measures. In addition, there has been no investigation into the stability over time in this relationship: an important consideration if survey findings are used to inform future policy. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between employment status and common mental disorder (CMD) in 50–64-year old residents in England and its stability over time, taking advantage of three national mental health surveys carried out over a 14-year period. Data were analysed from the British National Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity of 1993, 2000 and 2007. Paid employment status was the primary exposure of interest and CMD the primary outcome – both ascertained identically in all three surveys (CMD from the revised Clinical Interview Schedule). Multivariable logistic regression models were used. The prevalence of CMD was higher in people not in paid employment across all survey years; however, this association was only present for non-employment related to poor health as an outcome and was not apparent in those citing other reasons for non-employment. Odds ratios for the association between non-employment due to ill health and CMD were 3.05 in 1993, 3.56 in 2000, and 2.80 in 2007, after adjustment for age, gender, marital status, education, social class, housing tenure, financial difficulties, smoking status, recent physical health consultation and activities of daily living impairment. The prevalence of CMD was higher in people not in paid employment for health reasons, but was not associated with non-employment for other reasons. Associations had been relatively stable in strength from 1993 to 2007 in those three cross-sectional nationally representative samples. |
| JEL: | R14 J01 |
| Date: | 2017–08–24 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:84652&r=hea |
| By: | Pickard, Linda; Brimblecombe, Nicola; King, Derek; Knapp, Martin |
| Abstract: | In the context of rising need for long-term care, reconciling unpaid care and carers’ employment is becoming an important social issue. In England, there is increasing policy emphasis on paid services for the person cared for, sometimes known as ‘replacement care’, to support working carers. Previous research has found an association between ‘replacement care’ and carers’ employment. However, more information is needed on potential causal connections between services and carers’ employment. This mixed methods study draws on new longitudinal data to examine service receipt and carers’ employment in England. Data were collected from carers who were employed in the public sector, using self-completion questionnaires in 2013 and 2015, and qualitative interviews were conducted with a sub-sample of respondents to the 2015 questionnaire. We find that, where the person cared for did not receive at least one ‘key service’ (home care, personal assistant, day care, meals, short-term breaks), the carer was subsequently more likely to leave employment because of caring, suggesting that the absence of services contributed to the carer leaving work. In the interviews, carers identified specific ways in which services helped them to remain in employment. We conclude that, if a policy objective is to reduce the number of carers leaving employment because of caring, there needs to be greater access to publicly-funded services for disabled and older people who are looked after by unpaid carers. |
| Keywords: | unpaid care; employment; paid services; replacement care; England |
| JEL: | R14 J01 |
| Date: | 2017–08–16 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:84071&r=hea |
| By: | Dyson, Tim; Cetorelli, Valeria |
| Abstract: | In August 1990, Saddam Hussein’s army invaded Kuwait and consequently the United Nations imposed economic sanctions on Iraq. In 1991, an international military alliance expelled the Iraqi army from Kuwait during a short war. Nevertheless, the economic sanctions remained in place—their removal required that Iraq should destroy its weapons of mass destruction. Subsequent years saw reports of acute suffering in Iraq. The sanctions undoubtedly greatly reduced the country’s ability to import supplies of food and medicine. Particular concerns arose about the state of young children. These concerns crystalised in 1999 when, with cooperation from the Iraqi government, Unicef conducted a major demographic survey. The results of the survey indicated that the under-5 death rate in Iraq had increased hugely between 1990 and 1991 and had then continued at a very high level. The survey results were used both to challenge and support the case for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. And they were cited by Tony Blair in 2010 in his testimony to the Iraq Inquiry established by the British government. Indeed, the results of the 1999 Unicef/Government of Iraq survey are still cited. Since 2003, however, several more surveys dealing with child mortality have been undertaken. Their results show no sign of a huge and enduring rise in the under-5 death rate starting in 1991. It is therefore clear that Saddam Hussein’s government successfully manipulated the 1999 survey in order to convey a very false impression—something that is surely deserving of greater recognition. |
| JEL: | N0 |
| Date: | 2017–07–24 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:73136&r=hea |
| By: | Schneider, Eric B.; Ogasawara, Kota |
| Abstract: | This paper assesses how the disease environment in interwar Japan influenced children’s growth and health. The data is drawn from government records from 1929 to 1939 which report the average heights of boys and girls in school at each age (6-21) for each of Japan’s 47 prefectures. We test the influence of disease in two ways. First, we test the influence of the disease environment at birth, proxied by the infant mortality rate, on the cohort growth pattern of children using the SITAR model to parameterise the growth pattern. In addition, we use a bilateral-specific fixed effects model to understand how disease instantaneously influenced growth controlling for prefecture-birth cohort effects. Our results suggest that health conditions in early life did not have a strong influence on the growth pattern of children in Japan. However, we do find a significant and economically meaningful instantaneous effect of the infant mortality rate on child height at ages 6-11 for both boys and girls. This suggests that child morbidity was very important to the increase in stature during interwar Japan, but it also suggests that the emphasis placed on preventing child stunting in the first thousand days in the modern development literature may be misplaced. The secular increase in height in interwar Japan was more strongly influenced by cumulative responses to the health environment across child development rather than being simply the outcome of improving cohort health. |
| Keywords: | child growth; disease; health transition |
| JEL: | O53 N0 I1 |
| Date: | 2017–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:wpaper:84066&r=hea |
| By: | Atkinson, Anthony C.; Biswas, Atanu |
| Abstract: | Adaptive randomization of the sequential construction of optimum experimental designs is used to derive biased-coin designs for longitudinal clinical trials with continuous responses. The designs, coming from a very general rule, target pre-specified allocation proportions for the ranked treatment effects. Many of the properties of the designs are similar to those of well understood designs for univariate responses. A numerical study illustrates this similarity in a comparison of four designs for longitudinal trials. Designs for multivariate responses can likewise be found, requiring only the appropriate information matrix. Some new results in the theory of optimum experimental design for multivariate responses are presented. |
| Keywords: | biased-coin design; covariate balance; effective number of observations; ethical allocation; equivalence theorem; multivariate DA-optimality; multivariate loss; power skewed allocation |
| JEL: | C1 |
| Date: | 2017–09–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:66761&r=hea |
| By: | Jorge Ugaz; Anthony Leegwater; Minki Chatterji; Doug Johnson; Sikiru Baruwa; Modupe Toriola; Cynthia Kinnan |
| Abstract: | Private health care providers are an important source of modern contraceptives in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet they face many challenges that might be addressed through targeted training. |
| Keywords: | Sub-Saharan, Africa, Health Care |
| JEL: | F Z |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mpr:mprres:ad56ab84d03c4c04baf67c34d469b75e&r=hea |
| By: | Dara Lee Luca; Jeffrey C. Kwong; Anna Chu; Beate Sander; Ryan O’Reilly; Allison J. McGeer; David E. Bloom |
| Abstract: | In Ontario, Canada, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) was approved for infants in 2001 and became part of the publicly funded routine immunization schedule in 2005. |
| Keywords: | Streptococcus pneumoniae, cost, hospitalization, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, pneumonia |
| JEL: | I |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mpr:mprres:b82168da0b9e48858e78256f7e12ff71&r=hea |
| By: | Michael T. Halpern; Kevin W. Smith; Nancy McCall; Yiyan Liu; Suzanne G. Wensky |
| Abstract: | To assess psychometric properties of a recently-designed medical-homeness instrument, the Medical Home Attributes Scale (MHAS), we surveyed clinical practices with NCQA recognition as medical homes. |
| Keywords: | Medical homeness, Medical Home Attributes Scale, MHAS |
| JEL: | I |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mpr:mprres:79152e3ebcf84c489577e2019b3f32a3&r=hea |
| By: | Joshua M. Sharfstein; Sule Gerovich; David Chin |
| Abstract: | One of the primary goals of alternative payment models, including patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations, is to allow clinical systems to reap the rewards of investments in prevention. |
| Keywords: | Safety-net hospitals, global budgets |
| JEL: | I |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mpr:mprres:b17aed49154e409a8bd25bfd7a29d5db&r=hea |
| By: | Anna Bruederle; Roland Hodler |
| Abstract: | Oil spills can lead to irreversible environmental degradation and pose hazards to human health. We are the first to study the causal effects of onshore oil spills on neonatal and infant mortality rates. We use spatial data from the Nigerian Oil Spill Monitor and the Demographic and Health Surveys, and rely on the comparison of siblings conceived before and after nearby oil spills. We find that nearby oil spills double the neonatal mortality rate. These effects are fairly uniform across locations and socio-economic backgrounds. We also provide some evidence for negative health effects of nearby oil spills on surviving children. |
| Keywords: | Oil spills; Nigeria; infant mortality; child health. |
| JEL: | I10 I18 J13 Q53 |
| Date: | 2017–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nva:unnvaa:wp03-2017&r=hea |
| By: | Joseph Flavian Gomes |
| Abstract: | We show that ethnic distances lead to worse child health outcomes by impeding access to health-related information. We combine individual level micro data from DHS surveys for fourteen sub-Saharan African countries, with a high-resolution dataset on the spatial distribution of ethnic groups at the 1 × 1 sq. km level constructed using an Iterative Proportional Fitting algorithm. We show that children whose mothers are linguistically more distant to their neighbours face higher mortality rates and are shorter in size. Linguistically distant mothers are also less likely to know about the oral rehydration product for treating children with diarrhoea. |
| Keywords: | ethnic distance, linguistic distance, linguistic diversity, ethnic inequality, child mortality, African development, health inequalities |
| JEL: | I14 O10 O15 Z10 Z13 |
| Date: | 2017–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nva:unnvaa:wp04-2017&r=hea |
| By: | Judith A. Cook; Jane K. Burke-Miller |
| Abstract: | The study provides information about how SSA’s programs for people with psychiatric disabilities intersect and interact with other federal, state and local programs that provide cash and other benefits to people with disabilities, and how enrollment in these programs is affected by changes in employment. |
| Keywords: | Supplemental Security Income, Social Security Disability Insurance, Employment, serious mental illness, disability, mental health |
| JEL: | I J |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mpr:mprres:fe88290b77da4222879ad3409dce8a0f&r=hea |
| By: | Pauline Rossi (University of Amsterdam); Paola Villar (Paris School of Economics) |
| Abstract: | This study exploits the introduction of high subsidies for anti-malaria products in Senegal in 2009 to investigate if malaria prevents parents to invest in child health. Building upon the seminal paper of Dowetal. (1999), we develop a simple model of health investments under competing mortality risks, in which people allocate expenses to equalize lifetime across all causes of death. We predict that private health investments to fight malaria as well as other diseases should increase in response to anti-malaria public interventions. To test this prediction, we use original panel data from a Senegalese household survey combined with geographical information on malaria prevalence. Our strategy is to compare the evolution of child health expenditures before and after anti-malaria interventions, between malarious and non-malarious regions of Senegal. We find that health expenditures in malarious regions catch up withnon-malarious regions, at the extensive and intensive margins, and both in level and in composition. The same result holds for parental health-seeking behaviour in case of other diseases like diarrhea. We provide evidence that these patterns cannot be explained by differential trends in total income or access to health care or child morbidity between malarious and non-malarious regions. Our results suggest that behavioural responses to anti-malaria campaigns magnify their impact on all-cause mortality for children. |
| Keywords: | D1; H51; I1; O15 |
| Date: | 2017–09–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tin:wpaper:20170108&r=hea |
| By: | Pikos, Anna Katharina |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes the relationship between work-related mental health problems and multitasking (the number of different tasks at work) in two cross sections from the German working population in 2006 and 2012. The analysis is exploratory and hence, descriptive. For an additional task, medium severe and severe work-related mental health problems increase by 0.02 standard deviations. Absenteeism and presenteeism due to work-related mental health problems rise by one percentage point. This is driven by tasks that require interaction with other human beings but not by the simultaneity of tasks. The estimates appear small at first sight but multitasking increased by nearly one task from 2006 to 2012. The loss in gross value added due to the rise in absenteeism and presenteeism amounts to roughly 1 billion euro. |
| Keywords: | work-related mental health; multitasking; job satisfaction |
| JEL: | I10 J28 |
| Date: | 2017–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:han:dpaper:dp-610&r=hea |
| By: | Pikos, Anna Katharina |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes the relationship between work-related mental health and education in the German working population using cross sectional survey data from 2006 and 2012. Low education is associated with lower mild health problems, higher education with increased mild and medium severe problems. In the Job Demands and Resources model, work-related mental health problems arise from an imbalance between job demands and resources. Low education is significantly associated with lower job demands and resources but not with a different stress perception of missing resources. Higher educated have significantly higher demands and resources and perceive high job demands as more stressful. Education is also associated with less job satisfaction but there is suggestive evidence for monetary and some non-monetary compensation. |
| Keywords: | work-related mental health; returns to education; job satisfaction |
| JEL: | I10 J28 |
| Date: | 2017–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:han:dpaper:dp-611&r=hea |
| By: | Pikos, Anna Katharina |
| Abstract: | This paper analyses whether there is a causal relationship between work-related mental health problems and multitasking, the number of tasks performed at work. The data comes from two cross sectional surveys on the German working population. The empirical strategies uses technological change as an instrument for multitasking. In the first stage, the introduction of new production and information technologies is associated with increases in multitasking. Production technology adoption has larger associations to manual multitasking and informational technology adoption to cognitive multitasking. There is evidence for a causal effect of multitasking on emotional strain, emotional exhaustion and burnout. |
| Keywords: | work-related mental health; multitasking; job satisfaction |
| JEL: | I10 J28 |
| Date: | 2017–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:han:dpaper:dp-609&r=hea |
| By: | Hirvonen, Kalle; Bossuyt, Anne; Pigois, Remy |
| Abstract: | Social protection policies typically involve multiple sectors, ranging from food security to health care. Despite this, limited research is directed toward understanding how different social protection programs complement each other. In this study, we explore complementarities between three major national social protection programs in rural Ethiopia: the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), the Health Fee Waiver (HFW) system, and the Community Based Health Insurance (CBHI) in the Ethiopian highlands (Amhara, Oromia, SNNP, and Tigray regions). |
| Keywords: | food security; health policies; social policies; health services; health insurance; rural communities; low income groups |
| Date: | 2017 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:esspwp:112&r=hea |
| By: | Akogun, Oladele (Modibbo Adama University of Technology); Dillon, Andrew (Michigan State University); Friedman, Jed (World Bank); Prasann, Ashesh (World Bank); Serneels, Pieter (University of East Anglia) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates an alternative proxy for individual worker productivity in physical work settings: a direct measure of physical activity using an accelerometer. First, the paper compares worker labor outcomes, such as labor supply and daily productivity obtained from firm personnel data, with physical activity; they are strongly related. Second, the paper investigates the effect of a health intervention on physical activity, using a temporally randomized offer of malaria testing and treatment. Workers who are offered this program reallocate time from lower intensity activities in favor of higher intensity activities when they work. |
| Keywords: | labor productivity, productivity measurement, malaria, field experiment |
| JEL: | I12 J22 J24 O12 |
| Date: | 2017–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp11115&r=hea |
| By: | Asuming, Patrick Opoku (University of Ghana); Kim, Hyuncheol Bryant (Cornell University); Sim, Armand (Cornell University) |
| Abstract: | We study the long-run impacts of health insurance promotion in Northern Ghana. We randomly provide three overlapping interventions to promote enrollment: subsidy, information campaign, and convenient sign-up option, with follow-up surveys seven months and three years after the initial intervention. Our interventions, especially the subsidy, promote enrollment and healthcare service utilization in the short and long runs. We also find short-run health status improvements, which disappear in the long run. We find suggestive evidence on decreased investment in disease prevention and selection that may help explain this pattern of health status changes. |
| Keywords: | health insurance, sustainability, moral hazard, selection, screening effect, randomized experiments |
| JEL: | I1 O12 |
| Date: | 2017–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp11117&r=hea |
| By: | Lerner, Dan (University of Deusto); Verheul, Ingrid (Erasmus University Rotterdam); Thurik, Roy (Erasmus University Rotterdam) |
| Abstract: | A growing conversation has emerged linking ostensibly dark or pathological individual-level characteristics to entrepreneurship. Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) emerged as a proof-of-concept phenomenon. Recent studies in entrepreneurship journals have made great strides – articulating the theoretical relevance of ADHD-type behavior in entrepreneurship, and suggesting a positive link consistent with narratives in the popular press. While the recent research has made important inroads, quantitative studies have yet to empirically examine ADHD in line with its theoretical roots and definition – as a full-blown clinical disorder. The present paper contributes by providing a theoretically-empirically aligned test of the connection between clinical ADHD and entrepreneurial intention as well as action. |
| Keywords: | nascent venturing, ADHD, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, entrepreneurial intentions, entrepreneurial action |
| JEL: | L26 I12 |
| Date: | 2017–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp11105&r=hea |
| By: | Noriko Fukuda (Hyogo University of Health Sciences) |
| Abstract: | The purpose of this study is to investigate English education for pharmacy students in Japan. This study focuses on the first year first semester in the Japanese university.Though the world is becoming more and more internationalized, there are a large number of Japanese people who find it hard to speak English. Also at the dispensing pharmacies, there are a lot of pharmacists who have anxiety when they speak English to patients from abroad. The author is planning to investigate English education for pharmacy students in order for future pharmacists to communicate successfully with the growing number of foreigners entering Japan.In Japan, studies of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) have discussed what to teach for pharmacy students in English classes. ESP studies encourage teachers to improve students? English reading comprehension, and to provide students with knowledge regarding technical terms. However, it is true that many students don?t have positive attitude to learn English. Therefore, the author tries to seek its background and solution.The results of the questionnaire show that the students had little opportunity to learn pronunciation when they were in junior and senior high school. This is one of the reasons why they hesitate to speak English.The author makes new lesson plans for students on the first year first semester. These lesson plans focus on English pronunciation and presentation, giving students many opportunities for their utterance.According to the questionnaire after the first semester, students recognize that these lessons help them to overcome their hesitation to speak English. The results also indicate that this content and method can increase students? positive attitude toward improving their English abilities.Reference:1. Judy Noguchi, Yoko Kozaki, English for specific purposes for pharmaceutical sciences: The effectiveness of an ESP approach. Bull. Mukogawa Women?s Univ. Nat. Sci.. (2000), 48, p105-111.2. Tomoko Yamashita Smith, Japanese Pharmaceutical Students? Attitudes toward English Learning: Survey Results from One University. Bulletin of Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences. (2012), 6, p41-47.3. Megumi Yamada, Revising Syllabus for Pharmacy Students Based on ESP Methods. ESP Hokkaido Journal. (2013), 2, p40-45. |
| Keywords: | English Education, Pharmacy Student, Japanese University |
| Date: | 2017–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iacpro:5807543&r=hea |
| By: | Kwanjai Pataipakai (Boromarajonani College of Nursing, Ratchaburi) |
| Abstract: | The number of foreign workers in Thailand rises annually in line with continual economic growth. Furthermore, increases in the number of foreign workers in Thailand also cause a wide range of problems concerning public health such as communicable disease or hygiene for living in each area. The government recognizes the aforementioned problems and has, therefore, attempted to control the situation by having as many foreign workers register in the health system as possible. Many foreign workers also perform self-care based on their capabilities. Thus, promoting health knowledge in foreign workers benefits the public health system as a whole. Methods for promoting health knowledge should use online media capable of accessing foreign worker groups conveniently without wasting government budgets. In the area of success factors for communication, as much understanding of online health media use behaviors among foreign workers as possible must be understood to enable successful communication.This study was aimed at studying the online media use behaviors and perceived e-health literacy among foreign workers divided into three groups based on government welfare use. Data were collected in August ? September 2016. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Most of the foreign workers were found to be males (54.2%) aged 20-30 years (52.5%) who had elementary levels of education (42%) and mean/monthly income within a range of 5,001 ? 10,000 baht (84.7%). The samples had moderate online media use behaviors such as using LINE (Mean = 2.70, SD = 1.552) and Facebook (Mean = 2.65, SD = 1.587). Other online media were used at low to lowest levels. Every health data content searched via online media were at low to lowest levels. Perceived e-health literacy of foreign workers was low for every item. Foreign workers who used different types of government welfare were found to have differences in online media use, search content and perceived e-health literacy with statistical significance at .05 for every item.The findings of this study can help academics develop online health media to suit the online media use behaviors of foreign workers as well as possible to benefit national public health in the future. |
| Keywords: | eHealth Literacy , Foreigner Workers , Welfare |
| Date: | 2017–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iacpro:5808203&r=hea |
| By: | Sungwoo Park (Inje University); Minji Kim (Inje University); Euitay Jung (Inje University) |
| Abstract: | Currently, Korea is rapidly aging and the perception of health is changing from treatment focused to management and prevention focused. As a result, along with the popularization of smart-phone devices, health care and prevention-oriented applications are launched and various smart healthcare products are being developed as well.In addition, interest in healthcare services is increasing in the insurance industry in recent years. According to the researcher from the Insurance Research Institute, success stories of healthcare service through convergence of diverse industries such as medical, tourism, and IT in USA, Japan, China and Australia are appearing and the healthcare service market is getting popular as the new growth engine of the insurance industry. Foreign insurance companies such as Lina Insurance, AIA Life Insurance, Allianz Life Insurance and domestic companies such as Hanwha Life Insurance, Kyobo Life Insurance, Hyundai Insurance, etc are providing healthcare services using new technology such as ICT. Lina Insurance that is overseas insurance company has a sleep health management program and hospital reservation program through real-time interpretation service during overseas travel for the employees. AIA Life Insurance has a pace counting function for internal employees, and Allianz Life Insurance has a 1: 1 management service program with counselors. Domestic insurers such as Hanwha Life Insurance, Kyobo Life Insurance, and Hyundai Insurance provide health consultation services and appointment reservations to certain insurance members.However, there is a need for the Korean government to revise the existing medical laws that control the medical practices of non - medical institutions such as insurance companies and provide basis on healthcare service to activate the concerning market. |
| Keywords: | healthcare services, insurance industry, healthcare |
| Date: | 2017–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iacpro:5808252&r=hea |
| By: | Fumihiko Isada (The Faculty of Informatics, Kansai University); Yuriko Isada (School of Policy Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University) |
| Abstract: | The sharp rise in health-care costs is compressing the public finance in various countries today, and an increase in the efficiency of the research and development of pharmaceutical products is required. In order to increase the efficiency of drug development, open innovation through external cooperation between drug manufacturing companies is attracting attention. However, the research findings on previous researches are not necessarily the same regarding the size of the effect of external cooperation between drug manufacturing companies. It is assumed that differences in the kinds of pharmaceutical products and in the mode of inter-organisational relations are two of the causes of the variation in the research findings. For example, with regard to the mode of inter-organisational relation, the operational efficiency of a horizontal international specialization style is high in the IT industry, and the operational efficiency of a vertical integration style is high in the motor industry. Thus, in this research, the pharmaceutical products were classified appropriately and the inter-organisational relation fit for each was clarified empirically. As a method of research, from the intellectual-property database, the joint-application patents for the past ten years were extracted, and the inter-organisational relation was analysed by using the method of social network analysis. As a result, when the pharmaceutical products were classified with the conventional polymer formulation, the bio-drug development and the dosage-form development, the effect of external cooperation changed with differences in product characteristics. In addition, it became clear that the modes of external cooperation fit for each differ. (This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 16K03916.) |
| Keywords: | inter-organisational relation, social network analysis, joint-application patent, pharmaceutical product |
| JEL: | O32 |
| Date: | 2017–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iacpro:5808060&r=hea |
| By: | Gindrute Kasnauskiene (Vilnius university); Karol Michnevich (Vilnius university) |
| Abstract: | Population ageing in a backdrop of growing average life expectancy can be seen in many advanced economies, but the rapid pace of these demographic changes in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) makes it a pressing matter for the region. We investigate these two phenomenon and compare results with prior research to determine their separate and combined effect on output growth in a panel regression model using Eurostat data for the period 1996 to 2013. Our findings point to both life expectancy and population ageing exerting a statistically significant, overlapping effect on real output. The conclusions of our research demonstrate the utility of augmenting macroeconomic models with a demographics-sensitive component. |
| Keywords: | demographics, life expectancy, population ageing, economic growth, CEE countries |
| JEL: | E10 J10 J11 |
| Date: | 2017–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iacpro:5807776&r=hea |