Decrease In Birth Rate Research Articles

Demografski razvoj otoka Brača i sklonost otočana iseljavanju

Demografski razvoj otoka Brača i sklonost otočana iseljavanju

Fertility rate, inter-generation wealth transfer and housing price in China: A theoretical and empirical study based on the overlapping generation model

The objective of this paper is to investigate how fertility rates impact on housing price in the mechanism of inter-generation wealth transfer in China. With a new framework consisting of the altruistic behaviors in China, an enhanced overlapping generation model is established in the paper. It attempts to figure out the yet-to-explore mechanism of the inter-generation wealth transfer and the effect of the fertility rates of different generations on housing price. The theoretical model indicates for the first time that inter-generation wealth transfer has a positive effect on housing price, and such transfer is affected by both fertility rate and housing consumption of the previous generations. An empirical study is further conducted for verifying the theoretical thinking. The results provide solid evidence that a decrease in fertility rate of the middle age generation by 1%, which in turn fuels the inter-generation wealth transfer to the younger generation, drives up housing price by 0.391%. Likewise, the fertility rate of the older generation has a similar impact, a 1% increase resulting in an increase in housing price by 0.072%.

Lessons on aging: Hopes and concerns of Japanese women at midlife

ABSTRACTJapan is leading the global trend of decreasing birth rates and the graying of society. In this study we examine women’s changing gender and intergenerational relationships and how these affect their concerns and hopes for their futures. Many of the 121 midlife women (aged 45–55) interviewed viewed themselves as sandwiched between their mothers-in-law and actual or potential daughters-in-law, at the nadir of intergenerational status within their families, in large part due to changing social patterns in marriage and birth rates. Doubts about the marriageability of their sons arising from role expectations for brides to care for parents-in-law cause concern for many and highlight the gendered and intergenerational nature of aging concerns. Yet, midlife in the 21st century, with changing gender and intergenerational roles, appears to create opportunities for many Japanese women to reflect on the meaning of the next stage of their lives. Changing gender and intergenerational relationships may contribute to their hopes to live a life of self-actualization and to be true to one’s self (jibun rashiku ikiru).

The Effect of Urban Empowerment Zones on Fertility and Health: A Case Study of Chicago, New York City, and Philadelphia

I estimate the health impacts of the Empowerment Zone (EZ) program—a federal program that gave sizeable grants and tax breaks to certain high-poverty census tracts in selected cities. Using differences-in-differences and synthetic control methods I find that the urban empowerment zone program (EZ) decreased fertility rates by 10 percent, decreased the prevalence of low birth weight by 8 percent, and increased overall birth weight by 0.8 percent. This increase in infant health was not driven by changes in the composition of births but reflects increased health among mothers. The urban empowerment zone program provided $100 million in block grants for infrastructure improvements and business tax credits. I compare the Chicago, New York City, and Philadelphia EZs to a control group of areas which applied for, but were not granted the EZ program in the first round. Synthetic control methods and estimates using an alternative control group support these findings. Recent research on the later-life impacts of low birth weight suggest that the health impacts of this program, despite not being the focus of the program, may have substantial long-term benefits.

Molecular mechanism of endothelial and vascular aging: implications for cardiovascular disease

Western societies are aging due to an increasing life span, decreased birth rates, and improving social and health conditions. On the other hand, the prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) and cerebrovascular (CBV) diseases rises with age. Thus, in view of the ongoing aging pandemic, it is appropriate to better understand the molecular pathways of aging as well as age-associated CV and CBV diseases. Oxidative stress contributes to aging of organs and the whole body by an accumulation of reactive oxygen species promoting oxidative damage. Indeed, increased oxidative stress produced in the mitochondria and cytosol of heart and brain is a common denominator to almost all CV and CBV diseases. The mitochondrial adaptor protein p66(Shc) and the family of deacetylase enzymes, the sirtuins, regulate the aging process, determine lifespan of many species and are involved in CV diseases. GDF11, a member of TGFβ superfamily with homology to myostatin also retards the aging process via yet unknown mechanisms. Recent evidence points towards a promising role of this novel 'rejuvenation' factor in reducing age-related heart disease. Finally, telomere length is also involved in aging and the development of age-related CV dysfunction. This review focuses on the latest scientific advances in understanding age-related changes of the CV and CBV system, as well as delineating potential novel therapeutic targets derived from aging research for CV and CBV diseases.

Retirement planning in the light of changing demographics

With increasing longevity and decreasing fertility rates, governments and policy makers are increasingly engaged in the question of long term retirement planning. In many cases this has included emphasising the need for individuals to take more responsibility for their own retirement planning through tax incentives, compulsion and changes to the age at which state retirement benefits become available. In the case of Australia, as is considered here, long term retirement planning has been focused around the development of a compulsory defined contribution (DC) superannuation system. Here we investigate the interaction between population ageing and the sustainability of the superannuation system by modelling a general superannuation scheme to compare the adequacy of retirement funds under a number of alternative scenarios. The model incorporates stochastic longevity forecasts and provides insight into the sufficiency of compulsory retirement saving both now and future. We find that the current pension scheme is more robust to longevity improvements for mid-class individuals however significant gaps arise for low-income individuals as longevity improves. Without addressing these issues, government expenditure is expected to increase substantially.

Modern demographic situation in Ukraine and prospects of its development

The features, forms of display and the reasons of demographic crisis in modern Ukraine are considered in the article. Major factors which promote deterioration of a demographic situation in the country are defined. It is grounded, that a modern demographic situation is characterized by depopulation tendencies, birth rate decrease, death rate increase in all century groups, and reduction of life expectancy and change of character of the migratory processes. The attention is focused on the sharpest existing and possible future social and demographic problems in Ukraine. It is proved, that prospects and the further development of the given situation in the state require carrying out of a targeted and effective state demographic policy.

Pharmacy Practice in Australia

INTRODUCTION The Commonwealth of Australia is one of the wealthiest countries in the Western Pacific region, with a population estimated at over 23 million in 2013.1 About 27% of the population were born overseas, predominantly in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, China, and India,2 and 3% of the population are Indigenous Australians.3 Despite the country’s geographic size, Australia’s population is substantially lower than that of other regions of similar size4 because of a large, unin habitable central desert. Australia is divided into 6 states and 2 major mainland territories (Figure 1); in most respects, the 2 territories function as states. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, life expectancy is among the highest in the world and 25 years longer than a century ago. A baby boy born between 2010 and 2012 can expect to live to 79.9 years of age and a baby girl to 84.3 years;3 however, life expectancy for the Indigenous population is 10.6 years less for boys and 9.5 years less for girls. Like most developed nations, Australia has experienced a drop in birth rate and infant mortality. More specifically, infant mortality rates have fallen from 65.7 to 3.3 deaths per 1000 live births over the past 85 years.5,6 Decreased birth rates coupled with increased life expectancy mean that Australia exemplifies global trends, with an expanding older population. This article is the first in the series “International Perspectives on Pharmacy Practice”. For general information about the series, see the article elsewhere in this issue: Raman-Wilms L, Moles RJ. Widening our horizons: pharmacy practice from a global perspective. Can J Hosp Pharm. 2015;68(5):417. WHO Region:The Western Pacific Country: Australia

The Aging of the Global Population: The Changing Epidemiology of Disease and Spinal Disorders.

The global population is currently undergoing an upward shift in its age structure due to decreasing fertility rates and increasing life expectancy. As a result, clinicians worldwide will be required to manage an increasing number of spinal disorders specific to the elderly and the aging of the spine. Elderly individuals pose unique challenges to health care systems and to spinal physicians as these patients typically have an increased number of medical comorbidities, reduced bone density mass, more severe spinal degeneration and a greater propensity to falls. In anticipation of the aging of the population, we undertook this project to heighten physicians' awareness of age-related spinal disorders, including geriatric odontoid fractures, central cord syndrome, osteoporotic compression fractures, degenerative cervical myelopathy, lumbar spinal stenosis and degenerative spinal deformity. This introductory article provides an overview of the changing demographics of the global population; discusses the age-related alterations that may occur to the spine; and summarizes the purpose and contents of this focus issue.

Lifetime reproduction and the second demographic transition: Stochasticity and individual variation

BACKGROUND In the last half of the previous century many developed countries went through a period of decreasing fertility rates, referred to as the second demographic transition. This transition is often measured using the Total Fertility Rate (TFR), which gives the mean number of children produced by a woman surviving through her reproductive years. The TFR ignores effects of mortality and, as a mean, provides no information on variability among individuals in lifetime reproduction. OBJECTIVE Our goal is to quantify the statistics (mean, variance, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, and skewness) during the second demographic transition. We compare these statistical properties as functions of age, time, and developmental indices. METHODS We used Markov chains with rewards to compute the moments of lifetime reproductive output (LRO) based on age-specific mortality and fertility rates for 40 developed coun- tries, two hunter-gatherer populations and a group of North-American Hutterites. The analysis uses a Markov chain to model individual survival, and treats reproduction as a Bernoulli-distributed reward with probability equal to the age-specific fertility. RESULTS All statistical properties of lifetime reproduction changed during the transition. The mean and standard deviation of LRO declined, and the coefficient of variation and skewness increased. By 2000, these statistics were tightly correlated across countries, suggesting that the entire distribution of LRO shifted, not just the mean. CONCLUSIONS We find that developed countries adhere to a seemingly universal distribution in LRO, during and after the second demographic transition. This distribution becomes more ap- parent when development improves health circumstances and decreases mortality.

From the Guest Editor: A Special Issue for Asian Consumer and Family Economics Association (ACFEA)

This special section of the Journal of Family and Economic Issues has six papers originally presented at the Tenth Biennial Conference of Asian Consumer and Family Economics Association, held at National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan in July of 2014. During the conference, more than 80 papers were presented with more than 120 scholars in attendance. After soliciting submissions from presenters at the conference and blind-peer reviewing process of excellent referees, only six articles were accepted for this Special Issue. Prior to getting into the details of each paper, I would like to say that this collection of papers is a must read if you are interested in frontier research in the area of family economics and consumer finance in Asia. As the guest editor, I tried to include papers that addressed family issues of current concern that also complemented each other in some way. I also tried to include consumer issues that are currently prevalent in Asia. Most research studying family financial behavior of racial/ethnic groups has ignored Asian households or arbitrarily combined them with other racial/ethnic groups. In the first paper, Hanna, Lee, and Lindamood treated Asian households as a separate racial/ethnic group and suggested that Asian households should be analyzed as a separate group and should not be combined with other racial/ethnic groups for comparison purposes. As the decreasing fertility rate has become a prevalent issue, in the second paper, Huang, Chiang, and Pan empirically explored the possible effect of crime on fertility and concluded that crime did have a significantly negative effect on fertility in Taiwan under consideration of spatial dependence of fertility rate, although the magnitude was modest. Moreover, as investment in the securities markets is vital to households’ wealth accumulation and financial security, the third paper by Yao and Xu provided insight into the long-term financial security of Chinese households and found that self-assessed investment knowledge and having a long-term financial plan were positively associated with Chinese households’ participation in the securities markets. In order to better comprehend the factors associated with family’s poverty dynamic status, Surachman and Hartoyo used a stratified random sample from four sub-districts in West Java, Indonesia to reveal that family of origin played an important role in determining the welfare status of individuals through parental investment in children’s human capital. With respect to household saving issue, Poon and Hon found that the disparities in the distribution of household savings in Hong Kong were more serious than disparities in household income or expenditures. Their analysis also revealed that the major household saving motive was ‘‘precautionary’’ and the key determinant of household savings was income, implying that the life-cycle hypothesis of savings could be applied in Hong Kong. In the last paper, Kim and Hong investigated the impact of catastrophic health expenditures (CHE) on life satisfaction in South Korea and concluded that the effect on life satisfaction of having CHE varied among the household groups, mainly in terms of income level and type of medical benefit programs. Households in the poverty-National Health Insurance (NHI) group exhibited much lower satisfaction compared to other groups when they experienced CHE. & Jr-Tsung Huang jthuang@nccu.edu.tw

Decreased fertility rates in 9639 women diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease: a United Kingdom population-based cohort study.

Clinical studies have reported reduced fertility in women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). To compare fertility rates in women with IBD to those in women without IBD and assess whether the relative fertility differed following IBD diagnosis, flares and surgery. Women aged 15-44 years in 1990-2010 were identified from a UK primary care database. We estimated overall and age-specific fertility rates by 5-year age bands for women with and without IBD. We used Poisson regression to calculate adjusted fertility rate ratios (AFRR), adjusted for age, smoking and socioeconomic deprivation. There were 46.2 live births per 1000 person-years [95% confidence interval (95% CI); 44.6-47.9] in 9639 women with IBD and 49.3 (95% CI 49.2-49.5) in 2 131 864 without (AFRR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.89-0.96). Excluding periods of contraception use, the AFRR was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.95-1.03). Before diagnosis, the AFRR for women with ulcerative colitis (UC) was 1.07 (95% CI: 0.99-1.16) and was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.81-0.97) for women with CD. After diagnosis, AFRRs were 0.87 (95% CI: 0.82-0.94) for CD and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.86-1.00) for UC. The fertility rate was lower following flares (AFRR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.59-0.82) or surgery (AFRR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.77-0.92). Women with pouch and non-pouch surgery had similar overall fertility though the reduction after surgery was greater for pouches (AFRR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.23-0.99). Women with Crohn's disease have marginally lower fertility rates. These rates decreased following flares and surgical interventions. Fertility rates returned almost to normal when women were not prescribed contraception but the reduction following surgical intervention remained. As the lifetime effect of pouch vs. nonpouch surgery on fertility is small, the reduction post-pouch surgery should be interpreted with caution.

THE INHIBITING FACTORS OF FERTILITY RATE DECREASE AND THE DIRECTION OF FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAM REVITALIZATION

This paper analyzes stagnation of fertility rate decrease in Indonesia. Population balance can be achieved by controlling fertility. Indonesian survey of demography and health in 2012, however, shows no significant difference of fertility rates from similar surveys in 2002 and 2007. In addition to that, there are factors such as the shifting political paradigm in the developing world, change of local governance, and institutional change that influence the stagnation of fertility rate decrease. This writing recommends ways to accommodate balance between democratic system and effective achievement. Besides, the decrease of fertility rate also requires serious commitment and determination of local government to participate. For this goal, sociological and cultural model can be used as an alternative to transform the behavior of society.

학령전기 아동의 비만에 대한 아버지의 인식 유형

Traditionally, fathers have been a bread earner and responsible for external matters as the head of household. However, the interest of today's fathers in their children has changed from that of the traditional fathers due to the increased employment of female, decreased birth rate and the trend of shared role in parenting. The purpose of this study was to identify the perception type of fathers of preschool children regarding obesity and the characteristics of the type by applying Q-methodology, and to create the basic data for the development of education programs for fathers or policy-making to prevent child obesity. Data were collected by applying 38 Q statements to 24 fathers of preschool children. Collected data were analyzed with the PC QUANL program. Results indicate that fathers' perception of obesity was divided into three types: 'management of physical activity and diet,' 'generous acknowledgment of reality' and 'compromised emphasis on homemade meal.' The 'compromised emphasis on homemade meal' type is those who consider homemade food important, although they sometimes suggest conditions to make their children cooperative for food. It was found that the subject of the study uniformly recognized that processed foods, fast foods or chocolates are harmful to health. The type of fathers' perception of obesity in preschool children was discussed, focusing on the perception type identified in this study.

Sperm depletion may not limit male reproduction in a capital breeder

Male reproduction is not only constrained by the number of encountered females but also by physiological limitations, including sperm production and the ability to sustain courtship and mating. Over a breeding season, sperm stores may drop in tandem with male energetic reserves or motivation, confounding the constraints imposed by sperm quantity with other correlated physiological limitations. We used wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) to test whether explosive capital breeders are functionally limited by sperm depletion. We paired males with four conspecific females in succession and counted all of the fertilized and unfertilized eggs that each pair produced. In general, males did not experience a progressive decrease in fertilization rates with each mating (which is characteristic of sperm depletion). Instead, a few males experienced complete fertilization failure during their third and/or fourth mating, perhaps as a result of physical exhaustion, loss of motivation or hormonal changes. This pattern suggests that, even if male wood frogs do become increasingly sperm depleted over a breeding season, they are not necessarily limited by sperm. Understanding how and why fertilization rates change over multiple matings (i.e. incremental decrease vs. all-or-nothing) will help clarify the role of sperm depletion in limiting reproduction.

Regeneration through empire: French pronatalists and colonial settlement in the Third Republic

Following France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-71, French patriots feared that their country was in danger of becoming a second-rate power in Europe. Decreasing birth rates had largely slowed French population growth, and the country's population was not keeping pace with that of its European neighbors. To regain its standing in the European world, France set its sights on building a vast colonial empire while simultaneously developing a policy of pronatalism to reverse these demographic trends. Though representing distinct political movements, colonial supporters and pronatalist organizations were born of the same crisis and reflected similar anxieties concerning France's trajectory and position in the world. Regeneration through Empire explores the intersection between colonial lobbyists and pronatalists in France's Third Republic. Margaret Cook Andersen argues that as the pronatalist movement became more organized at the end of the nineteenth century, pronatalists increasingly understood their demographic crisis in terms that transcended the boundaries of the metropole and began to position the French empire, specifically its colonial holdings in North Africa and Madagascar, as a key component in the nation's regeneration. Drawing on an array of primary sources from French archives, Regeneration through Empire is the first book to analyze the relationship between depopulation and imperialism.

Sustainability of A Pay‐as‐you‐Go Pension System in A Small Open Economy with Ageing, Human Capital and Endogenous Fertility

ABSTRACTThe aim of the article is to theoretically investigate if a pay‐as‐you‐go (PAYG) pension system is sustainable in the presence of a declining population and increasing longevity of the retired generation. For this purpose, we use an overlapping generation model with endogenous fertility, endogenous longevity and human capital accumulation in a small open economy. We find that pensions will always increase as long as it is beneficial for parents to invest in human capital. Furthermore, we get the result that the ratio between pension benefits and the consumption of the young generation will strive to a positive limit value, and that a pure PAYG pension system will not run into any solvency problem due to a decreasing fertility rate or ageing.

A Life-Span Perspective on Life Satisfaction

The German population is ageing due to decreasing birth rates and increasing life expectancy. To sustain the German pension system, legal retirement age is increased step by step to 67 years. This raises questions about how to enable and motivate older individuals to work that long. Hence, it is important to understand whether they represent a homogeneous group that can be addressed through specific measures and instruments. Life-span theory points to systematic changes as well as increased heterogeneity with age. For example, work motivation does not generally decline with age but becomes increasingly task-specific, depending on changing life goals and individual adaptation processes in adult development. In this empirical study we analyse age heterogeneity with regard to current life satisfaction and life satisfaction domains (measured as satisfaction with work, income, family and health) that represent personal utilities individuals strive for. For our analysis we use data collected as part of a representative German longitudinal data study (SOEP1). We find increasing heterogeneity in current life satisfaction, satisfaction with work, family life, and health with age. Thus, common mean level analyses on age effects yield only limited informative value. The heterogeneity of older adults should be taken into account when motivating and developing older workers.

Cerium dioxide nanoparticles affect in vitro fertilization in mice

Due to their catalytic and oxidative properties, cerium dioxide nanoparticles (CeO2NPs) are widely used as diesel additive or as promising therapy in cancerology; yet, scarce data are available on their toxicity, and none on their reproductive toxicity. We showed a significant decrease of fertilization rate, assessed on 1272 oocytes, during in vitro fertilization (IVF) carried out in culture medium containing CeO2NP at very low concentration (0.01 mg.l−1). We also showed significant DNA damage induced in vitro by CeO2NP on mouse spermatozoa and oocytes at 0.01 mg.l−1 using Comet assay. Transmission Electron Microscopy did not detect any nanoparticles in the IVF samples at 0.01 mg.l−1, but showed, at high concentration (100 mg.l−1), their endocytosis by the cumulus cells surrounding oocytes and their accumulation along spermatozoa plasma membranes and oocytes zona pellucida. We did not observe any nanoparticles in the cytoplasm of spermatozoa, oocytes or embryos. This study demonstrates for the first time the impact of CeO2NP on in vitro fertilization, as well as their genotoxicity on mouse spermatozoa and oocytes, at low nanoparticle concentration exposure. Decreased fertilization rates may result from: (1) CeO2NP’s genotoxicity on gametes; (2) a mechanical effect, disrupting gamete interaction and (3) oxidative stress induced by CeO2NP. These results add new and important insights with regard to the reproductive toxicity of nanomaterials requesting urgent evaluation, and support several publications on metal nanoparticles reprotoxicity. Our data highlight the need for in vivo studies after low-dose exposure.

The relationship between age and driving attitudes and behaviors among older Americans.

BackgroundDue to a decreasing birth rate and longer life expectancy, the proportion of Americans over the age of 65 is expected to rise in coming years. Drivers over 65 drive two billion miles yearly, a number that will increase. For that reason, it is imperative to understand their attitudes and perceptions. It is also important to understand whether drivers over 65 can be treated as one cohesive group, or if there are differences among them.MethodsA web-enabled survey was conducted among Americans in the years 2011–2013. Responses from 1793 persons over 65 regarding attitudes towards driving behaviors, support for safety interventions, and engagement in unsafe behaviors were analyzed. Respondents were stratified by age: 65–69, 70–74, and 75 and older. Age groups were compared using logistic regression. Other potential explanatory factors were analyzed and controlled for.ResultsThe three groups were similar on many outcomes. However, statistically significant differences were found between them with regard to perceptions on speeding and the support for speed cameras, among other outcomes. In nearly all cases, those 75 and older were the most “pro-safety.” However, when adjusted for demographic characteristics other than age, a larger proportion of respondents 75 and older reported engaging in red light running and drowsy driving in the last 30 days, and the difference was statistically significant.ConclusionOlder drivers are strongly “pro-traffic safety.” However, the finding that those 65–69 are less so is concerning. This is especially true if it is the result of a cohort effect instead of an age effect. The increase in certain behaviors among those 75 and older is also concerning; drivers over this age are more prone to fatal injury when involved in a motor vehicle crashes. This poses a public health issue as the 75and older population expands.