Female Education Level Research Articles

Factors Impacting Hypertension Awareness among Hypertensive Population: A Quantitative Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Malaysia

There are obstacles to high levels of hypertension awareness that are embedded in gender, income and lifestyle habits which need to be addressed leading to high levels of undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension. This study aimed to explore the various factors which affect hypertension awareness among a hypertensive population in a tertiary care hospital. A quantitative study was conducted among hypertensive patients at a tertiary care hospital in Selangor, Malaysia. A validated and translated questionnaire was utilised as a data collection tool. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 25. A thousand participants (female n=621, male n= 379) were recruited, and their mean age is 48± 11.09 years old. Approximately half of respondents were not informed by their doctor that they have hypertension. More than half of respondents were unaware about the normal range of systolic and diastolic. Female gender, Chinese race, urban resident, older adults, and tertiary education level are the most significant factors that have a great influence on the level of awareness among hypertensive population. Hypertension awareness needs to be addressed from systemic point of view to solve the growing barriers to accessing correct information about the disease. Health care providers and authorities need to regulate the manner in which information on mortal diseases is presented to the public to reduce incidence of malpractice.

Decision Conflicts in Clinical Care during COVID-19: A Patient Perspective.

(1) Background: Uncertainty is typical for a pandemic or similar healthcare crisis. This affects patients with resulting decisional conflicts and disturbed shared decision making during their treatment occurring to a very different extent. Sociodemographic factors and the individual perception of pandemic-related problems likely determine this decisional dilemma for patients and can characterize vulnerable groups with special susceptibility for decisional problems and related consequences. (2) Methods: Cross-sectional data from the OnCoVID questionnaire study were used involving 540 patients from 11 participating institutions covering all major regions in Germany. Participants were actively involved in clinical treatment in oncology or psychiatry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Questionnaires covered five decision dimensions (conflicts and uncertainty, resources, risk perception, perception of consequences for clinical processes, perception of consequences for patients) and very basic demographic data (age, gender, stage of treatment and educational background). Decision uncertainties and distress were operationalized using equidistant five-point scales. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and various multivariate approaches. (3) Results: A total of 11.5% of all patients described intensive uncertainty in their clinical decisions that was significantly correlated with anxiety, depression, loneliness and stress. Younger and female patients and those of higher educational status and treatment stage had the highest values for these stressors (p < 0.001). Only 15.3% of the patients (14.9% oncology, 16.2% psychiatry; p = 0.021) considered the additional risk of COVID-19 infections as very important for their disease-related decisions. Regression analysis identified determinants for patients at risk of a decisional dilemma, including information availability, educational level, age group and requirement of treatment decision making. (4) Conclusions: In patients, the COVID-19 pandemic induced specific decisional uncertainty and distress accompanied by intensified stress and psychological disturbances. Determinants of specific vulnerability were related to female sex, younger age, education level, disease stages and perception of pandemic-related treatment modifications, whereas availability of sufficient pandemic-related information prevented these problems. The most important decisional criteria for patients under these conditions were expected side effects/complications and treatment responses.

Does More Educated Mean More Productive? Assessing the Effect of Education Level on the Productivity of Sample of Iraqi Farmers

This study aims to know if it is worth investing in tomato farmers’ education in Iraq. Two-stage analyses of the Data Envelopment Approach were used. In the first stage, scores of technical efficiency were obtained. In the next one, technical efficiency scores were regressed, using Tobit analysis, on educational factors to understand which factor can affect education. Data used in this study ranged from 1991 to 2016 and they were obtained from the FAO website. Results of the first stage showed that there is room for improving technical efficiency or increasing tomato output keeping the level of input the same. The second stage analysis showed that investing in increasing the basic education level of females can increase technical efficiency and eventually the output of tomatoes.

Community Pharmacists' Knowledge and Practice toward Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Khartoum State

Background: Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are mainly viral in their etiologies but sometimes are complicated by secondary bacterial infections detected by the persistence of symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate community pharmacist's knowledge and practice regarding URTIs. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed using self-administered questionnaire. The study targeted 338 community pharmacists selected randomly from community pharmacies in Khartoum state. The overall knowledge and practice scores were calculated, then the associations between these scores and demographic characteristics were evaluated using Chi-square test and analyzed by statistical package for social sciences. Results: Out of 327 pharmacists, 65.4% of them were females. Whereas pharmacists with B. Pharm. represented 79.1%. Regarding the knowledge, it was found that 59.7% of community pharmacists have sufficient knowledge toward URTIs, while 40.3% of them have insufficient knowledge. Community pharmacists exhibited varying degrees of practice, but most of them have a good practice. Furthermore, 52.6% of them reported patient's interest as barrier to counseling, while 38.9% reported pharmacy crowdedness as a barrier. Statistically, higher knowledge scores are associated mainly with female gender and educational levels. On the another hand, 64.4% of the participants relied on medical websites as a source of information. Conclusion: Community pharmacists have good knowledge about URTIs. The practice is diverse, but good practice is mainly linked to those with sufficient knowledge. Most of the community pharmacists relied on medical websites as a source of information.

Associations between meeting exercise guidelines, physical fitness, and health in people with spinal cord injury

Purpose (1) To estimate the proportion of Dutch wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) who meet different SCI exercise guidelines; (2) to evaluate which demographic and lesion characteristics are associated with meeting these guidelines; (3) whether meeting these guidelines is associated with physical fitness and health. Materials and methods Based on the PASIPD questionnaire items, participants were allocated to meeting two SCI aerobic exercise guidelines, which differ in exercise load. Differences in personal, lesion, fitness, and health characteristics between groups were tested with a one-way ANOVA. Multiple regression analyses were performed to evaluate if meeting guidelines was associated with better fitness and health. Statistical significance was accepted at p < 0.05. Results Of the 358 included participants, 63.1% met at least one aerobic exercise guideline. Being female, older age, having tetraplegia, and lower educational level were associated with a lower likelihood to meet the aerobic exercise guidelines. Meeting aerobic exercise guidelines showed a positive association with all respiratory and exercise capacity parameters. Limited associations were found between meeting exercise guidelines and health. Conclusions Meeting exercise guidelines was associated with better respiratory functions and exercise capacity with additional fitness and some body composition benefits in higher exercise activity levels. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Meeting SCI exercise guidelines are associated with better respiratory functions and exercise capacity with additional fitness and body composition benefits when higher exercising at higher activity levels, emphasizing the value and importance of regular exercise in individuals with SCI.

Factors associated with female age at first marriage: An analysis using all waves of the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey.

In conventional Muslim societies, fertility occurs within the marital union. Therefore, fertility outcomes depend on females' age at first marriage (AFM). The present study explores the pattern of AFM in Pakistan, analyses of which are scarce in the literature. We aim to identify the factors associated with the AFM among currently married women in Pakistan. Demographic factors like birth cohort, and socioeconomic and cultural factors such as province and place of residence, education level, whether or not a woman had ever worked before marriage, ethnicity, and husband's education were studied to explore the pattern of female AFM. Data were taken from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Surveys (PDHSs) of 2012-13 and 2017-18, and a comparison was made with the findings from the earlier PDHSs of 1990-91 and 2006-07. The analysis concentrates on women born between 1941 and 1992, aged between 25 and 49 years during the data collection periods. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the difference between the mean AFM for different sub-groups of the population. To identify the covariates that are associated with AFM multiple linear regression models were estimated. We observed a gradually increasing trend in female AFM over time among women born after 1950. The ANOVA results revealed that birth cohort, province, and place of residence, female education level, whether or not a woman had ever worked before marriage, ethnicity, and husband's education were significantly associated with AFM (p-values < 0.05). In a multiple regression model, we found that the birth cohort significantly affects the AFM (p-value < 0.05). Having worked before marriage is associated with a statistically significant one-year rise in the AFM. Interestingly, all other ethnic groups have lower AFM compared with women whose mother language was Punjabi. Education has a highly significant effect on the AFM: the regression results revealed that uneducated females have a mean AFM 4 to 5 years lower than highly educated women. The results also revealed that educated men marry older women as compared to uneducated men. We conclude that the education of females and even males in Pakistan could lead to a rise in the female AFM.

Structural Advocacy Organizations and Intersectional Outcomes: Effects of Women's Police Stations on Female Homicides

AbstractBy introducing the concept of “structural advocacy organizations,” this study theorizes and tests the boundary conditions within which organizations designed to protect the rights of disenfranchised groups promote structural changes at the intersection of gender and race. We test these claims on Brazil's “women's police stations,” a type of structural advocacy organization with greater female representation on staff and with specialized procedures and an institutional mandate to address violence against women. The analysis indicates that homicides are lower among the population of women in municipalities which have women's police stations. However, within this group, homicides committed against women who self‐identify as “black” and “brown” are lower only in municipalities that are characterized by high levels of female education and in metropolitan areas with infrastructure development. The results suggest that improving intersectional outcomes for women who are disenfranchised on race requires complementary policies and institutional mandates to address racialized violence.

Prevalence of depressive symptoms and quality of life among patients with diabetes mellitus with and without HIV infection: A South African study.

BackgroundDiabetes mellitus (DM) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are both associated with increased risk of mood disorders and poorer quality of life (QOL). This association has not been explored in patients living with comorbid DM and HIV.AimTo describe the prevalence of depressive symptoms and impact on the QOL in patients with DM living with and without HIV attending a public sector hospital in South Africa.SettingA medical outpatient clinic at a state regional hospital.MethodsA cross-sectional questionnaire pilot survey was conducted amongst 101 patients with DM attending a specialist medical outpatient service. The assessment was conducted using a structured socio-demographic and clinical questionnaire, the patient health questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) for depressive symptoms and the World Health Organization QOL scale. The HIV status was confirmed from the clinical records. The correlates of depressive symptomatology in the participants with DM living with and without HIV were identified using t-tests.ResultsThe prevalence of depressive symptoms in the participants with DM was 36%. Moderate to severe depression was associated with female gender (p = 0.03) and low educational level (p = 0.02) but not with HIV comorbidity or clinical characteristics of DM. The QOL was influenced by moderate to severe depressive symptoms (QOL in physical p < 0.218 and environmental p < 0.001 domains), but not HIV status (p = 0.218).ConclusionA substantial proportion of people with DM reported depressive symptoms, which is slightly higher than the average reported in other out-patient studies. The association of depression with poor QOL highlights the need for integrated mental health access in medical outpatient services. The lack of association between comorbid HIV status and DM with depression or QOL needs to be further explored.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine among adult with epilepsy - experiences from a single epilepsy center in Malaysia

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) usage were reported in Europe, the United States of America and monoethnic Asian countries such as Korea and Taiwan. However, limited literature is available on the variability of CAM usage patterns among people with epilepsy (PWE) in a multi-racial country in particular Malaysia. This cross-sectional study assessed the prevalence, types, predictors and impact of CAM use among adult PWE and their adherence to anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) treatment.140 patients were recruited, with a median age of 37.5 (IQR,28.0-51.5) years, majority female, had secondary or lower education level, earn &lt;USD1077 and seizure frequency of &lt;1 per month. One quarter (25.7%) used CAM for seizure control, of which 94.4% adhered to AEDs treatment while on CAM. Common CAM used were prayers, traditional herbal remedies, massage, and acupuncture. Only 33.3% have discussed CAM usage with their physician. The main reason for CAM usage was patients’ willingness to try other alternatives for seizure control. Although most patients had not used CAM, 20.2% were receptive to using CAM as concomitant treatment. Buddhists were more open to CAM while Muslims uses CAM selectively and avoid amulets, acupuncture, chiropractic, Ayurveda, yoga, and reiki. Logistic regression analysis showed Buddhist’s religion (OR,11.01), Muslims (OR,4.04), ≥1 seizure per month (OR,3.85) and monthly income of ≥USD1077 (OR,2.92) as the predictors for CMA usage. CAM use is common in Malaysia, especially among Buddhists and Muslims, with higher socio-economic status, and uncontrolled seizures. CAM is mostly used to complement but not in replacement of AEDs.

COVID-19 and Unmet Medical Needs for People With Chronic Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Gaps between medical needs and health services accessibility are defined as unmet medical needs (UMN). Previous studies assessing UMNs during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic did not account for factors such as the type of medical insurance or chronic disease. Therefore, this study investigated various factors, including medical insurance and chronic diseases, affecting self-reported UMN during the pandemic in Daejeon Metropolitan City, South Korea. This cross-sectional study was conducted using Daejeon Metropolitan City Health Surveys data from 2020. The weighted prevalence of UMN was estimated among participants (n = 1494) aged ≥18 years, while chi-squared and logistic models were used to assess the association between UMN and participant characteristics. The prevalence of UMN was 6.4% (n = 97). Female sex and low education levels were significantly associated with reporting UMN. Medical aid beneficiaries were less likely to report UMN than adults with National Health Programs coverage. Participants with chronic diseases, such as hypertension and arthritis, and those with depression, were more likely to report UMN than adults without these conditions. The findings highlight the need for targeted efforts to decrease UMN in the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for women and individuals with low education levels. The results also indicate that high-risk disease groups should be targeted with additional enabling services to support the management of chronic conditions.

The Importance of Gender and Family Manager Education Background To CEO Founder's Moderated Company Values

Family companies are heterogeneous. The heterogeneity of family firms results in reduced predictability of corporate behavior and inconsistent results regarding research on the behavior of family firms. This study aims to examine the influence of the gender of the family manager, the level of education of the family manager on the family firm's value as moderated by the founder of the CEO. The top management team variables as the independent variables are family manager, female family manager, education level, and family ownership. The value of a family company is measured using Tobin's q. This study examines 133 samples from all family companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) with annual reports from 2016-2020. Panel regression research (a combination of cross-sectional and time-series data) using PLS version 3.0 application software to facilitate data testing. The test results show that the education level of family managers has a positive effect on a company. While family managers moderated by CEOs, female family managers and family ownership explain no significant impact on Tobin's q measurement

Determinants of tuberculosis treatment interruption among patients in Vihiga County, Kenya.

BackgroundDespite robust Tuberculosis (TB) program with effective chemotherapy and high coverage, treatment interruption remains a serious problem. Interrupting TB treatment means that patients remain infectious for longer time and are at risk of developing drug resistance and death. This study was conducted to identify and describe predictors of TB treatment interruption.MethodsA cohort of 291 notified TB patients from 20 selected health facilities in Vihiga County were enrolled in to the study and followed up until the end of treatment. Patient characteristics that potentially predict treatment interruption were recorded during treatment initiation using structured questionnaires. Patients who interrupted treatment were traced and reasons for stoppage of treatment recorded. Kaplan Meier method was used to estimate probabilities of treatment interruption by patient characteristics and determine time intervals. The Log rank test for the equality of survival distributions analyzed significance of survival differences among categorical variables. For multivariable analysis, Cox proportional hazard model, was fitted to identify predictors of TB treatment interruption through calculation of hazard ratios with 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs). For variable analysis, statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. Reasons for treatment interruption were categorized according to most recurrent behavioral or experiential characteristics.ResultsParticipants’ median age was 40 years (IQR = 32–53) and 72% were male. Of the 291 patients, 11% (n = 32) interrupted treatment. Incidences of treatment interruption significantly occurred during intensive phase of treatment. Independent predictors of treatment interruption included alcohol consumption (HR = 9.2, 95% CI; 2.6–32.5, p < 0.001), being female (HR = 5.01, 95% CI; 1.68–15.0, p = 0.004), having primary or lower education level (HR = 3.09, 95% CI; 1.13–8.49, p < 0.029) and having a treatment supporter (HR = 0.33, 95% CI; 0.14–0.76, p = 0.009). Reasons for interrupting treatment were categorized as: alcoholism, feeling better after treatment initiation, associated TB stigma, long distance to health facility, lack of food, perception of not having TB and pill burden.ConclusionTB treatment interruption was high and largely associated with patients’ socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics. These multidimensional factors suggest the need for interventions that not only target individual patients but also environment in which they live and receive healthcare services.

Female participation in agriculture and economic development in 33 African Countries.

Women occupy a crucial position in the agricultural sector because; they participate in different forms, as entrepreneurs, labourers, and marketers among others. Despite the various responsibilities' women are involved in, such as family and child-care among others; they contribute up to 40% of agricultural GDP. Against this background, this study examined how female participation in agriculture contributes to economic development in selected African countries, which is in line with the United Nations (UN) 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 5 & 8; to ensure gender equality, decent work and economic growth respectively). The study engaged a panel data of selected 33 African countries sourced from the World Development Indicators (WDI) and the Human Development Index (HDI) for the period of 2000 - 2018. The study applied the Pooled Ordinary Least Squares (POLS) and the fixed effects method based on Hausman specification result. Findings from the POLS and fixed effect were consistent across sub-regions, showing that, female participation in agriculture, though statistically significant, was negatively related to economic development. This means that a 1% increase in female participation in agriculture may reduce economic development by between 0.06% and 2.7%. On the other hand, across model, female education was found to be statistically significant and positively related to economic development. On the average, increased level of female education may increase economic development by 1.71%. The implication of this is that an increase in female participation in agriculture without the required level of education and training and access to agricultural materials may have a negative impact on economic development. Therefore, the study recommended that female education and training are required to improve economic development in Africa.

Early childhood undernutrition, preadolescent physical growth, and cognitive achievement in India: A population-based cohort study.

BackgroundThere is a lack of nationally representative estimates for the consequences of early childhood undernutrition on preadolescent outcomes in India. Understanding this relationship is helpful to develop interventions that not only prevent child undernutrition but also mitigate its consequences.Methods and findingsIn this cohort study, we analyzed prospectively gathered data from 2 waves of the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) to investigate the association of undernutrition during early childhood (0 to 5 years) in 2004 to 2005 with physical and cognitive outcomes during preadolescent (8 to 11 years) years in 2011 to 2012. These surveys interviewed 41,554 households across all 33 states and union territories in India in 2004 to 2005 and reinterviewed 83% of the households in 2011 to 2012. Primary exposure was assessed using the Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF) based on 2004 to 2005 survey. Primary outcomes were short stature (height-for-age z-score [HAZ] <−2), thinness (body mass index [BMI] <18.5 kg/m2), reading, and arithmetic skills during preadolescence based on the 2011 to 2012 survey. Survey-weighted generalized linear models were used, and effect modification based on child sex and sociodemographic variables were evaluated using 3-way interaction terms. Of the 7,868 children included in this analysis, 4,334 (57.3%) were undernourished. Being undernourished was associated with increased odds of short stature (odds ratio [OR] 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.45 to 2.06) and thinness (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.33 to 1.73) during the preadolescent period, while it was associated with decreased odds of achieving a higher reading (cumulative odds ratio [cumOR]: 0.76, 0.66 to 0.87) and arithmetic (cumOR: 0.72, 0.63 to 0.82) outcomes. The disparity in outcomes based on CIAF increased with age, especially for female children. Increased level of female education within the household reduced the disadvantages of undernutrition among female children. Study limitations include observational and missing data, which limit our ability to draw strong causal inferences.ConclusionsIn this study, we found that early child undernutrition was associated with several adverse preadolescent physical and cognitive outcomes, especially among female children. Improved female education mitigates this association. Female education promotion should assume a central role in Indian public health policy making.

Proximate and distal factors associated with the stall in the decline of adolescent pregnancy in Uganda

BackgroundAdolescent pregnancy in Uganda declined from 31% in 2000–01 to 25% in 2006 but thereafter stalled at 25% from 2006 to 2016. This paper investigates the factors associated with the recent stall in the rate of decline of adolescent pregnancy in Uganda.MethodsWe used logistic regression models for 4 years (2000–01, 2006, 2011 and 2016) of data from the Uganda Demographic Health Survey to explore proximate and distal factors of adolescent pregnancy in Uganda. We carried out Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition models to explore the contributions of different factors in explaining the observed decline in adolescent pregnancy between 2001 and 2006, and the subsequent stall between 2006 and 2016.ResultsWe found that marriage among women aged 15–19 years, and early sexual debut, were strongly associated with adolescent pregnancy. These declined substantially between 2000 and 01 and 2006, leading to a decline in adolescent pregnancy. Their decline was in turn associated with rising levels of female education and household wealth. After 2006, education levels and household wealth gains stalled, with associated stalls in the decline of marriage among women aged 15–19 years and sexual debut, and a stall in the decline of adolescent pregnancy.ConclusionsThe stall in the decline of adolescent pregnancies in Uganda was linked to a stall in the reduction of adolescent marriage, which in turn was associated with limited progress in female educational attainment between 2006 and 2016. We emphasize the need for a renewed focus on girl’s education and poverty reduction to reduce adolescent pregnancy in Uganda and subsequently improve health outcomes for adolescent girls.

Women’s engagement in participatory politics of Kogi State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT A plenitude of research exist on women participation in politics. However, there is dearth of research effort on the factors affecting political participation of women in Kogi politics. As a result, the study examines the factors influencing women’s engagement in participatory politics in Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria. The sample comprised 243 females who were selected through a multi-stage cluster technique. The analysis for the study was done using simple percentages and mean (M) and standard deviation (SD) were used to describe demographic and other salient information in the data. The Multiple Standard Regression was performed to determine the impact of women’s demographics on their level of political participation. Results showed among others that respondents were not aware of current political trends in Nigeria and the world. Because women were being short changed in politics as there was no enabling environment for them to thrive politically, they were perceived as politically disadvantaged more than their fellow men. Findings also revealed that certain institutional (e.g. lack of effective government action), socio-cultural (patriarchal and sexism), attitudinal (lack of support by women to women who are willing to participate) and socio-economic (e.g. age, lower levels of female employment and education) factors influenced women’s political participation in the study. Result of the regression analysis revealed that socio-economic factors such as age (p < .01), educational level (p < .01), marital status (p < .01), religion (p < .01), traditional beliefs (p < .01) and occupation (p < .05) significantly predicted the low political participation level by the women in the study.

Sex-based differences in the prevalence of and risk factors for depression in adult patients with epilepsy in Northeast China

ObjectivesTo confirm whether the prevalence of depression in patients with epilepsy (PWE) is different between the sexes, whether risk factors for depression vary between the sexes, and whether the association between cognitive function and depression in PWE is influenced by patient sex. MethodsA cohort of consecutive PWE from the First Hospital of Jilin University (Changchun, China) was recruited. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Chinese version of the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy scale, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent risk factors for depression in both male and female PWE. ResultsFemale PWE experienced more serious depressive symptoms (p = 0.001) than male PWE. Risk factors affecting comorbid depression varied according to sex. Among male PWE, per capita monthly family income (odds ratio [OR] 0.515 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.311–0.851]; P = 0.01), seizure frequency over the past year (OR 1.586 [95% CI 1.019–2.468], P = 0.041), polytherapy (OR 0.446 [95% CI 0.214–0.931]; P = 0.032), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale score (OR 0.926 [95% CI 0.873–0.982]; P = 0.011) were independent risk factors for depression. Among female PWE, educational level (OR 0.604 [95% CI 0.364–1]; P = 0.05) and MoCA scale score (OR 0.921 [95% CI 0.859–0.987]; P = 0.02) were independent risk factors for depression. ConclusionDepression was a common psychiatric comorbidity among PWE, and the prevalence of and risk factors for depression differed between males and females.

The gender-based attainment of education and female entrepreneurship: the European perspective

Although in European countries women obtain higher education more often than men, they still comprise about 30% of entrepreneurs. To understand the gender gap in entrepreneurship, the study aims to assess the impact of education on female entrepreneurship in two aspects, as explained by both male and female education levels and by different levels of education (primary, secondary, tertiary). To verify hypotheses, the empirical models are estimated with female entrepreneurship as the dependent variable and with the level of education as the independent one with the panel regression method for panel data for 31 European countries yearly 2000-2019. Results confirm that both male and female education levels impact female entrepreneurship. Female entrepreneurship is positively related to the share of females with higher and partial secondary education, as well as the share of males with primary education. Female entrepreneurship is reduced by the share of females with primary education and the share of males with higher education. There are two aspects of novelty in the paper. Firstly, female entrepreneurship is explained by both male and female education levels as both genders create the social environment for entrepreneurship; female education has a direct impact through the skills and competences, while male education impacts indirectly by influencing the business environment. The second aspect is the assumption that female entrepreneurship is explained by different levels of education (primary, secondary and tertiary), which impact their decisions to enter entrepreneurship.

Who has sustained psychological symptoms nine years after the Hebei Spirit oil spill?: The Health Effect Research on Hebei Spirit oil spill (HEROS) study

This study evaluated risk factors for sustained psychological symptoms in affected residents, nine years after the Hebei Spirit oil spill in Korea in 2007. The participants included residents of high-exposure areas, living within 2 km from the contaminated coast (n = 2013), among the cohort of the Health Effect Research on Hebei Spirit oil spill study from 2009 to 2016. Symptoms for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, psychosocial distress, and anxiety, as well as sociodemographic information were assessed through questionnaire interviews. Trajectory analysis was conducted to identify the group with sustained symptoms over time and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for sustained symptoms adjusted for covariates. A longer duration of clean-up work, lower household income, and presence of a chronic disease in all type of symptoms, and being female, younger age, and higher educational level in all symptoms but PTSD, showed a significant association with increased risk of sustained symptoms. The highest risk was found in the subgroup with a longer clean-up together with offshore and maritime occupations or lower income in PTSD, depression, and anxiety, compared with those with a shorter clean-up and other occupation or higher income. Increased risk of sustained PTSD in relation to a longer clean-up was limited to those with a lower educational level (p-interaction = 0.009). The results suggested that participating longer in clean-up work increased sustained psychological symptoms, synergistically with socioeconomic factors such as offshore and maritime occupations, lower household income, or economic losses related to educational level.

Exploring the predictors of depression among Saudi adolescents: Time for urgent firm actions.

Objectives:To estimate the prevalence of depression among Saudi adolescents and identify its correlates.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study using a multistage random technique that included students at the intermediate and secondary levels in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used as a tool, in addition to a survey of the potential risk factors. Binary logistic regression was conducted.Results:Out of 960 students, 32.4% were found to have moderate to severe depression. The age group of 16-19 years was more at risk. Female gender and low father’s education level were significant predictors of depression. Less internet use and more physical activity are considered a protective factor against depression, OR -0.531 (95% CI: 0.315-0.894) and OR -0.668 (95% CI: 0.468-0.953), respectively. Whereas the physical abuse, OR 2.047 (95% CI: 1.287-3.255) and emotional abuse, OR 2.576 (95% CI: 1.740-3.813) considered risk factors for depression.Conclusion:The prevalence of depression among Saudi adolescents is worrisome. Urgent and firm actions should be taken in response to the increasing prevalence of depression worldwide.