Modelling Factors Affecting the Middle Income Trap in Indonesia Using Generalized Additive Models (GAM)

This study examines the reciprocal causal relationship between regional financial performance and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the provincial level in Indonesia. Using panel data from 34 provinces over the period 2019–2023, the study combines SDG indicators from Statistics Indonesia with provincial fiscal data from the Regional Financial Information System. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is employed to analyze bidirectional effects while addressing measurement errors. The results reveal a positive and statistically significant two-way relationship between regional financial performance and SDGs achievement. The effect of financial performance on SDGs achievement is stronger than the reverse relationship, highlighting the importance of fiscal capacity in accelerating sustainable development. Expenditure efficiency and fiscal decentralization are identified as the main drivers of regional financial performance, while partnerships for the goals (SDG 17) contribute most significantly to SDGs achievement. This study provides empirical evidence of a dynamic fiscal–sustainability feedback mechanism at the subnational level. Policy implications suggest that investment in SDGs serves as a long-term fiscal strategy that strengthens regional financial sustainability.

Food Insecurity Among Adults With Severe Mental Illness

Purpose – The goal of the research was to test a general assumption about culture contribution to sustainable development via the relationship between culture-related indices and the achievement of specific sustainable development goals. Research methodology – Linear regression analysis along with robustness testing was used to test research hypotheses. The data set is represented by 19 explanatory variables and 2 dependent variables, which are proxies for sustainable developments goals Decent Work and Economic Growth and Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – Innovation index and Global competitiveness index. The data were collected from 27 European countries for the period 2011–2020. Findings – Statistical analysis revealed relationship between sustainable development indices and culture development of European countries. Decent Work and Economic Growth demonstrated more significant relationship to cultural development than the Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Development. Research limitations – The findings are limited by the fact that some variables were missing. Practical implications – The outcomes of the research allow to define the structure of relationship between sustainable development goals and cultural development indicators. Originality/Value – The research results have indicated that the achievement of sustainable development goals Decent Work and Economic Growth and Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Development are affected by the level of cultural development.

Purpose: This research aims to describe the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in provincial regional governments in Indonesia. Method: The research uses secondary data from the Indonesian Central Statistics Agency with the main data being the Sustainable Development report. The research uses a descriptive quantitative approach with comparative analysis of sample averages with the achievement of sustainable development goals at the national level. Results and conclusion: The research results show that data on achieving sustainable development at the provincial level is very limited and there are six SDGs goals that do not have achievement data. Even though there are limited data, the available SDGs achievement data of eleven achievements shows that the average achievements of provincial regional governments are similar to the SDGs achievements at the national level. This shows that the provincial government's policy regarding SDGs is in line with the central government. Measurement of SDGs achievements in provincial regional governments must be completed and is an obligation to be presented through the Central Statistics Agency's reporting in the future, considering that provincial regional governments' SDGs achievements are an inseparable part of national SDGs achievements. Implications of the Research: The SDGs program at the provincial level must be improved and the formulation of measurement and implementation must be simplified so that provincial governments are able to prepare complete SDGs statistics. Originality/value: This research reveals that the implementation of the SDGs program at the provincial level is in accordance with the implementation of the SDGs at the national level.

The article analyzes the Russian Federation constituent regions’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) achievement. Identified are the determinant Russian regions, the driving force and the reason for their coherence in achieving sustainable development goals. The study is based on a systematic approach using the method of statistical, neural network and cluster analysis. Results. The study has revealed a contradiction expressed in priority of “SDG 7. Fixed capital investments by areas of investment in terms of “Production of electricity from renewable energy sources, including generated by solar, wind, geothermal power plants, as well as activities to ensure their performance”” line of business and underperformance in terms of “SDG 16. Russia’s position in the rating of the World Bank’s Doing Business project in terms of the “Getting credit” indicator. The work shows priority in relation to “SDG 3. Life expectancy at birth”, which is implemented through national projects. Analysis of the large Russian clusters regional importance identified the Moscow region by “SDG 1. Proportion of the population living below the national poverty line” and “SDG 3. Life expectancy at birth”. The analysis of interregional ties revealed determinant regions, the existence of which is supported by the dynamics of the developing Russian market, which is far behind countries with developing economies.

Household Food Insecurity in Middle- and High-Income Countries Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Despite UN recommendations to monitor food insecurity using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), to date there are no published reports of its validity for The Bahamas, nor have prevalence rates of moderate or severe food insecurity been reported for the remote island nation. At the same time, food security is a deep concern, with increasing incidence of natural disasters and health concerns related to diet-related disease and dietary quality plaguing the nation and its food system. This article aims to examine the validity of the FIES for use in The Bahamas, the prevalence of moderate and severe food insecurity, and the sociodemographic factors that contribute to increased food insecurity. The FIES survey was administered by randomized and weighted landline telephone survey in Nassau in The Bahamas to 1000 participants in June and July 2017. The Rasch modelling procedure was applied to examine tool validity and prevalence of food insecurity. Equating procedures calibrated this study's results to the global FIES reference scale and computed internationally comparable prevalence rates of both moderate and severe food insecurity. A regression analysis assessed the relationship between household variables and food security. The FIES met benchmarks for fit statistics for all eight items and the overall Rasch reliability is 0.7. As of 2017, Bahamians' prevalence of moderate and severe food insecurity was 21%, and the prevalence of severe food insecurity was 10%. Statistically significant variables that contribute to food insecurity included education, age, gender, and presence of diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease. Results also indicated that Bahamians experience food insecurity differently than populations across the globe, likely due in large part to the workings of an isolated food system heavily dependent on foreign imports. Responses showed that by the time a Bahamian worries they will not have enough food to eat, they have already restricted their meals to a few kinds of foods and begun to limit their intake of vegetables and fruits. This study, which is among the first to comprehensively measure food security in The Bahamas, provides a baseline for further research and evaluation of practices aimed at mitigating food insecurity in small island developing states. Further, this study provides a benchmark for future research, which may seek to understand the impacts of Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19, disasters further isolating the remote island nation. Post-disaster food security data are needed to further understand the extent to which food security is impacted by natural disasters and identify which sectors and stakeholders are most vital in restructuring the agricultural sector and improving food availability following catastrophic events.

BackgroundFood security is a fundamental human right that must be upheld to preserve excellent general welfare, and mental, physical, and social health. However, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report in 2020, the level of food insecurity in the world is increasing.ObjectiveDetermining the prevalence of food insecurity in Iran will be beneficial for Iran and other low-middle-income countries.MethodsWe searched both English and Persian (Iranian) databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, SID, Irandoc, Magiran, Civilica, and Iranian Medical Sciences Theses System from 01 January 1990 to 01 February 2022. Observational studies that reported the prevalence of household food insecurity among a healthy Iranian population and assessed food insecurity at the individual or household level using validated questionnaires were included.ResultsOne hundred six studies and/or theses with a total of 152, 300 participants met the review criteria. Our analyses demonstrated that the prevalence of food insecurity among the healthy Iranian population was 55.9% (95% CI: 52.6–59.2%) and the highest prevalence of food insecurity was in the western regions with 64.8% (95% CI: 57.7–72.0%). Subgroup analyses showed that food insecurity among women at 51.3% (95% CI: 45.1–57.6%) and rural inhabitants at 66.1% (95% CI: 58.8–73.4%) was significantly higher than men at 47.8% (95% CI: 41.8–53.8%) and urban residents at 47.1% (95% CI: 44.1–50.0%), respectively. Among the age groups, the highest prevalence of food insecurity was in adults at 56.5% (95% CI: 51.7–61.2%).ConclusionThe prevalence of food insecurity in a healthy Iranian population was higher than the global average. Women, rural residents, and residents of the western regions of Iran had a higher prevalence of food insecurity. These groups should be prioritized in programs to reduce the prevalence of food insecurity in Iran.Systematic review registrationwww.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, identifier: CRD42022328473.

The prevalence of household food insecurity in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) fell sharply between 2007 and 2011, but it appears to have risen since then. Our objective was to compare the prevalence of food insecurity between 2011-2012 and 2017-2018 in relation to population socio-demographic characteristics. Our analytic sample comprised all NL households in the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) cycles 2011-2012 and 2017-2018, n = 6800. We stratified the prevalence of household food insecurity for each cycle by socio-demographic characteristics and applied multivariable logistic regression models to determine food insecurity odds in 2017-2018 compared with 2011-2012 after controlling for socio-demographic covariates. Interactions of covariates with survey cycle were tested and models stratified when warranted. The prevalence of food insecurity rose from 12.0% (95% CI 10.5, 13.6) in 2011-2012 to 14.7% (95% CI 13.1, 16.6) in 2017-2018. After adjusting for household socio-demographic variables, the odds of food insecurity was 1.49 (95% CI 1.27, 1.75) in 2017-2018. The prevalence of food insecurity had increased significantly among unattached individuals, renters, households with low educational attainment, and households with income above the Low Income Measure, with concomitant increases in the contribution of these groups to the total provincial prevalence of food insecurity in 2017-2018 compared with that in 2011-2012. The odds of food insecurity among NL households increased significantly from 2011-2012 to 2017-2018. Given the serious negative health implications of household food insecurity, the province should draw on the lessons from its earlier success in food insecurity reduction to reverse the current trend.

BackgroundMalnutrition and food insecurity are associated with increased mortality and poor clinical outcomes among people living with HIV/AIDS; however, the prevalence of malnutrition and food insecurity among people living with HIV/AIDS in Senegal, West Africa is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of food insecurity and malnutrition among HIV-infected adults in Senegal, and to identify associations between food insecurity, malnutrition, and HIV outcomes.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study at outpatient clinics in Dakar and Ziguinchor, Senegal. Data were collected using participant interviews, anthropometry, the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, the Individual Dietary Diversity Scale, and chart review.ResultsOne hundred and nine HIV-1 and/or HIV-2 participants were enrolled. The prevalence of food insecurity was 84.6% in Dakar and 89.5% in Ziguinchor. The prevalence of severe food insecurity was 59.6% in Dakar and 75.4% in Ziguinchor. The prevalence of malnutrition (BMI <18.5) was 19.2% in Dakar and 26.3% in Ziguinchor. Severe food insecurity was associated with missing clinic appointments (p = 0.01) and not taking antiretroviral therapy due to hunger (p = 0.02). Malnutrition was associated with lower CD4 cell counts (p = 0.01).ConclusionsSevere food insecurity and malnutrition are highly prevalent among HIV-infected adults in both Dakar and Ziguinchor, and are associated with poor HIV outcomes. Our findings warrant further studies to determine the root causes of malnutrition and food insecurity in Senegal, and the short- and long-term impacts of malnutrition and food insecurity on HIV care. Urgent interventions are needed to address the unacceptably high rates of malnutrition and food insecurity in this population.

Water stress is a major challenge present in drylands and it generally leads to an uneven progress in social, economic, and natural systems. However, its impact on the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in drylands remains unclear. By establishing a comprehensive assessment system incorporating SDGs progress evenness, this study has assessed water stress and its impact on sustainable development in Inner Mongolia, a typical and representative area of Eurasian drylands. Our results suggest that although Inner Mongolia has experienced rapid progress towards its SDGs, disregarding the evenness of SDGs progress overestimates the current situation and ignores regional gaps. Many poorly performing SDGs have made little progress over the past few decades, thus intensifying uneven progress goals. Further analyses have examined how water resources are associated with these problems. Moreover, multiple SDGs related to human essential needs and environmental conservation, including SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), and SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), were significantly positively correlated with ecological water consumption, whereas SDGs related to economic growth, such as SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), were positively correlated with industrial water consumption. These findings suggest that a conflict in water allocation for the achievement of different SDGs accounts for the uneven progress across the SDGs and therefore this impedes the sustainable development of these drylands. Therefore, we argue that industrial upgrading, regional planning, and management policies should be integrated into a single unified framework from an SDGs perspective to relieve water stress, thus promoting sustainable development in drylands.

The prevalence of food insecurity is much higher in East Africa than in other parts of the world. Climate change and associated variability are important contributors to food insecurity in the region. Using primary data collected in 2018/19 from Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania, this study examines the links between the prevalence of household food insecurity (the access to food dimension) and vulnerability to climate change in East Africa. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was constructed to measure the prevalence of household food insecurity, and an ordered probit econometrics model was used to investigate the factors affecting the prevalence rates. The aggregate results show that 52% of the total sampled households in the region were food-secure; 15% and 26% were mildly food-secure and moderately food-insecure, respectively; and the remaining 7% were severely food-insecure. The ordered probit results suggest that exposure to climate change extremes and crop losses caused by these extremes significantly contribute to the prevalence of food insecurity across countries in East Africa. The results also indicate that households’ adaptive capacity plays a significant role in reducing the prevalence of food insecurity. The demographic/human, social, financial, physical, and natural assets/capital of the household also play a significant role in reducing household-level food insecurity in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania.

Comparing Food Security Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Considerations When Choosing Measures

The prevalence of food insecurity (FI) on university campuses is increasing. This study explored the prevalence of food and nutrition insecurity (NI) among dental students and barriers and interventions to address them. A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted. Validated tools were used to assess FI and NI. Univariate binary logistic regressions and a multivariable logistic regression model identified factors independently associated with FI. The response rate was 11.9% (n = 67). The mean age was 28.4 years; 67% were D1/D2 students; 53.7% were female, 15.2% identified as Hispanic, and 50.7% as White. Forty percent experienced FI; 24.2% had low nutrition security (NS), and 26.9% reported partial or full responsibility for others' living expenses. Twenty-four percent were married, 25.8% used a food pantry; 11.1% had unsuccessfully applied for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. In the adjusted model, low NS, nonmarried status, and food pantry use increased the likelihood of FI (odds ratios of 16.854, 10.182, and 9.123, respectively). Common barriers and potential interventions to address FI and NI were explored. The prevalence of FI in this sample was greater than the national average. Those who were unmarried, had low NS, and used a food pantry were significantly more likely to have FI. Proposed interventions include student services enhancements and curriculum modifications on nutrition and wellness. Further research is necessary with a larger sample to understand factors contributing to NI and FI among dental students.

Limited evidence exists on the association between food insecurity (FI) and the hypertension care cascade in the Caribbean despite the high burden of both. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between FI and hypertension prevalence, awareness, and control in the Eastern Caribbean. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data (2013-2018) from the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network Cohort Study (n = 2961). Food insecurity was measured using the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA) and classified as secure, mild, moderate, and severe. Hypertension was defined using guidelines from the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention and Caribbean Health Research Council. Poisson regression was used to estimate prevalence ratios for the association between FI and hypertension prevalence, awareness, and control, adjusting for covariates. Overall prevalence of FI was 28 percent in our sample. Seventeen percent experienced mild, 6 percent moderate, and 4 percent experienced severe FI. Fifty-eight percent had hypertension, 65 percent were aware of their hypertension, and among those aware, 56 percent had uncontrolled hypertension. Model results showed no association between FI and hypertension prevalence and awareness. Results for control showed moderate FI (PR = 1.33, CI = 1.09-1.64) and severe FI (PR = 1.30, CI = 1.05-1.62) were associated with 30 percent higher prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension compared to those who are food secure. Sex-stratified results showed women with moderate (PR = 1.39, CI = 1.13-1.71) and severe FI (PR = 1.41, CI = 1.16-1.72) had 40 and 41 percent higher prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension compared to food secure women, respectively. Results for men were not statistically significant. Findings align with prior evidence of greater FI prevalence among women and associations with hypertension control. Nutrition policies are needed to reduce FI prevalence and increase access to affordable, nutritious foods. Results warrant further studies to understand sex differences in FI prevalence and the impact on hypertension.