Higher Life Expectancy Research Articles

Trends and socioeconomic inequalities in self-rated health in Japan, 1986\u20132016

IntroductionDespite having very high life expectancy, Japan has relatively poor self-rated health, compared to other high-income countries. We studied trends and socioeconomic inequalities in self-rated health in Japan using nationally representative data.MethodsThe Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions was analyzed, every 3 years (n ≈ 0.6–0.8 million/year) from 1986 to 2016. Whereas previous studies dichotomized self-rated health as an outcome, we used four categories: very good, good, fair, and bad/very bad. Proportional odds ordinal logistic regression models are used, with ordinal scale self-rated health as an outcome, and age category, survey year and occupational class or educational level as independent variables.ResultsIn 2016, the age-adjusted percentages for self-rated health categorized as very good, good, fair, and bad/very bad, were 24.0, 17.1, 48.7, and 10.2% among working-age men, and 21.6, 17.5, 49.4, and 11.5% among working-age women, respectively. With 1986 as the reference year, the odds ratios (ORs) of less good self-rated health were lowest in 1995 (0.69; 95% Confidence Interval [95% CI]: 0.66–0.71 of working-age men), and highest in 2010 (1.23 [95% CI: 1.19–1.27]). The ORs of male, lower non-manual workers (compared to upper non-manual) increased from 1.12 (95% CI: 1.07–1.17) in 2010 to 1.20 (95% CI: 1.15–1.26) in 2016. Between 2010 and 2016, the ORs of working-age men with middle and low levels of education (compared to a high level of education) increased from 1.22 (95% CI: 1.18–1.27) to 1.34 (95% CI: 1.29–1.38), and from 1.47 (95% CI: 1.39–1.56) to 1.75 (95% CI: 1.63–1.88), respectively. The ORs of working-age women with middle and low levels of education also increased from 1.22 (95% CI: 1.17–1.28) to 1.32 (95% CI: 1.26–1.37), and from 1.74 (95% CI: 1.61–1.88) to 2.03 (95% CI: 1.87–2.21) during the same period.ConclusionJapan has the unique feature that approximately 50% of the survey respondents rated their self-rated health as fair, but with important variations over time and between socioeconomic groups. In-depth studies of the role of socioeconomic conditions may shed light on the reasons for the high prevalence of poor self-rated health in Japan.

Comparative evaluation of cystatin C and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in patients with thalassemia major versus thalassemia intermedia

Kidney disorders are long-term complications in thalassemia patients, especially with the high life expectancy of these patients. Proper evaluation of kidney impairment in β-thalassemia patients can be difficult due to higher intake of iron chelators, resulting in renal impairment. Early biomarkers of renal disease are used for the diagnosis of tubular and glomerular abnormalities. The current study was conducted on 88 individuals, 25 healthy people and 63 β-thalassemia patients. Circulating levels of urea, creatinine, cystatin C and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin were measured in all groups. Compared to healthy control, patients with thalassemia major and intermedia showed a significant increase in both cystatin C and NGAL levels, with no effects on creatinine levels. Furthermore, urea levels were markedly higher in patients with thalassemia major compared to control. As early renal dysfunction markers, cystatin C and NGAL should be routinely evaluated in thalassemia patients major and intermedia.

Examining Ethnic Variation in Life Expectancy Among Asians in the United States, 2012-2016.

As the fastest growing racial group in the United States, understanding the health patterns of Asians is important to addressing health gaps in American society. Most studies have not considered the unique experiences of the ethnic groups contained in the Asian racial group, implying that Asians have a shared story. However, we should expect differences between the ethnic groups given the differences in their timing and place of migration, socioeconomic status, and racialized experiences in the United States. We estimate the life expectancy of the six largest Asian ethnic groups-Chinese, Asian Indians, Filipinos, Vietnamese, Koreans, and Japanese-analyzing data from the Multiple Cause of Death File (2012-2016) and the American Community Survey (2012-2016) in the United States at the national and regional levels. Nationally, Chinese had the highest life expectancy (males e0 = 86.8; females e0 = 91.3), followed by Asian Indians, Koreans, Japanese, Filipinos, and Vietnamese, generally reflecting the pattern expected given their educational attainment, our primary indicator of socioeconomic status. We also found regional differences in life expectancy, where life expectancy for Asians in the West was significantly lower than all other regions. These findings suggest the presence of underlying selection effects associated with settlement patterns among new and traditional destinations. Our results underline the necessity of studying the experiences of the different Asian ethnic groups in the United States, permitting a better assessment of the varying health needs within this diverse racial group.

Does Spending More on Healthcare Yields Higher Life Expectancy? A Case Study on Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

This study aims to evaluate the nexus between economic factors and life expectancy in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Using the data of 115 countries for the year 2019, results revealed that only healthcare expenditure (HE) per capita showed statistically significant direct relation with life expectancy while GDP per capita and percentage of country GDP allocated to healthcare sector did not show any statistically significant effect. Based on panel OLS regression model used in this research, results showed that with the amount of money GCC countries spend on their healthcare systems, four out of the six GCC countries had a life expectancy that was lower than the estimated life expectancy by 3.28 years indicating inefficiency in their healthcare systems. The output also indicates that even though economic factors have an effect on life expectancy to a certain point, other factors such as the quality of the healthcare system staff, education, corruption, pollution, and other non-economic factors also affect life expectancy.

The Behavior of Polyurethane Foam-Filled Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Crossarm Subjected to Lightning Transient Voltage.

The demand for composite materials in high-voltage electrical insulation is escalating over the last decades. In the power system, the composite glass-fiber-reinforced polymer has been used as an alternative to wood and steel crossarm structures due to its superior properties. As a composite, the material is susceptible to multi-aging factors, one of which is the electrical stress caused by continuous and temporary overvoltage. In order to achieve a better insulation performance and higher life expectancy, the distribution of the stresses should firstly be studied and understood. This paper focuses on the simulation work to better understand the stress distribution of the polyurethane foam-filled glass-fiber-reinforced polymer crossarm due to the lightning transient injection. A finite-element-based simulation was carried out to investigate the behavior of the electric field and voltage distribution across the sample using an Ansys Maxwell 3D. Electrical stresses at both outer and inner surfaces of the crossarm during the peak of lightning were analyzed. Analyses on the electric field and potential distribution were performed at different parts of the crossarm and correlated to the physical characteristics and common discharge location observed during the experiment. The results of the electric field on the crossarm indicate that both the outer and internal parts of the crossarm were prone to high field stress.

Theoretical and Methodological Aspects of Analyzing the Impact of the Higher Education System on Regional Socio-Economic Development

Aim. The presented study summarizes the results of the analysis of modern approaches to assessing the higher education system in terms of its impact on the social and economic indicators of a region, describing a stakeholder approach to the classification of factors of a university’s influence on regional development.Tasks. The study aims to consider approaches to examining the activities of universities in the context of their impact on the development of a territory; to comparatively analyze social and economic indicators of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the education level of the employed population; to update the list of groups of stakeholders of the higher education system and to describe the parameters of university influence on the objects of one of the groups.Methods. This study analyzes the existing approaches of Russian and foreign researchers to assessing the contribution of the higher education system to socio-economic development as well as official statistics on the socio-economic development of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.Results. A considerable number of diverse factors characterizing the influence of the higher education system on socio-economic development are identified. The authors describe the contribution of universities to the development of human capital, innovative and economic development, social policy and environmental well-being of the region. It is noted that the university’s academic reputation affects the competitiveness of the city and facilitates active international cooperation. A comparison of statistics on the proportion of employees with higher education among the working population (DHE) with various indicators of economic and social development of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation shows that many regions with a more skilled workforce have higher gross regional product (GRP) per capita, higher life expectancy at birth, and lower working-age mortality than regions with low DHE. There are also negative trends in the higher education system, such as the declining number of university teaching staff over the last ten years. A stakeholder approach to the classification of factors of university influence on regional development is proposed. A group of stakeholders of the higher education system defined as “society” is introduced. The parameters of university influence on this group are described.Conclusions. The existing influence of universities on the socio-economic development of territories makes it necessary to put issues related to creating conditions for the optimization of interaction between various groups of stakeholders of the higher education system on the federal and regional agendas.

Evaluation of Geriatric Fractures Admitted to the Emergency Department According to Years and Seasons

Abstract
 Objective: With the rapidly increasing and diversifying elderly population of industrialized countries, the incidence of geriatric fractures is gradually increasing. The aim of this study is to evaluate the distribution of geriatric fractures according to the prevalence, age, sex, season and years. 
 Material and Method: Analyzes of geriatric fractures in patients aged 65 and over who were admitted to our emergency department between 2015 and 2020 were performed according to the most common fracture locations (hip, distal forearm, proximal humerus and ankle). The distribution of these fractures by age, gender, seasonal characteristics and years was evaluated
 Results: A total of 370 cases (168 male, and 202 female patients) with an average age of 79.5years were included in the study. The most common fracturestypes in order of decreasing frequency were fractures of the hip (51.6%), distal forearm (25.1%), proximal humerus (12.4%) and ankle (10.8%). The incidence of distal forearm fractures was significantly higher in females than males (p = 0.001), but any statistically significant difference was not found between genders regarding other fractures (p> 0.05). It was observed that the incidence of hip fractures was significantly higher in the people aged 86 years and over, while the other fractures were more frequently seen in the 65-75 age group. A seasonal feature was not observed in all fractures. The highest rate of hip fractures was seen in the year 2020. There was no difference in the distribution of other types of fractures over the years
 Conclusion: It has been concluded that the incidence of geriatric fractures increases relatively in conditions of social isolation and does not show seasonal characteristics in our region. We are of the opinion that a good management strategy should be determined characterized with both the isolation of these patients and their early treatment and discharge in disasters as pandemics, and the incidence of geriatric fractures that can be mortal with advancing age and higher life expectancy should be very well known.

A Robustness Test Protocol for Applied QCA: Theory and R Software Application

The robustness of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) results features high on the agenda of methodologists and practitioners. This article aims at advancing this debate on several fronts. First, in line with the extant literature, we take a comprehensive view on robustness arguing that decisions on calibration, consistency, and frequency thresholds should all be tested. Second, we introduce the notion of “sensitivity range” as the range of values for any of these parameters within which the solution formula remains unchanged. Third, we argue that interpreting robustness is more intricate than simply checking if solutions remain unchanged. Beyond sensitivity ranges, researchers should assess robustness by evaluating changes in parameters of fit and the classification of cases as robust, shaky, or possible. Fourth, we enable researchers to perform more than one robustness test at a time by proposing the notions of a “test set”: the overlap between conceptually plausible alternative solutions that can be generated; and of a “robust core”: that part of a QCA solution that withstands the robustness checks. Fifth, we present functionalities implemented in the R package SetMethods that enable researchers to put in practice our proposals. These advancements are integrated into a comprehensive QCA Robustness Test Protocol consisting of three main tests: sensitivity ranges, fit-oriented robustness, and case-oriented robustness. We illustrate the protocol’s implementation with an example on high life expectancy across the globe.

Geographic variation of life expectancy and all-cause mortality in Beijing

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Life expectancy may vary substantially within Beijing, a globalized city with highly heterogenous physical and social environment. Small-area analysis helps reveal geographical variation. We aim to investigate geographic variation of life expectancy and all-cause mortality at the township level in Beijing. METHODS: All cause death counts in 2017 and 2018 by 5-year age group, sex and township were obtained from Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Population data for each township were from Beijing statistical yearbook, with weights for age and sex obtained from district-level population. We used a Bayesian spatial models to estimate age-specific mortality and life expectancy for 309 townships in Beijing, separately for men and women. RESULTS:The median of age-standardized all-cause mortality at township level was 445.3/10 0000 (interquartile range [IQR], 217.5/10 0000) for men and 329.5/10 0000 (IQR, 186.3/10 0000) for women in Beijing in 2017-2018. The relative geographic gap defined as 80th-to-20th percentile ratio of mortality was higher in women than in men (2.0 vs. 1.8). Townships with high mortality were primarily found in the northern and southwestern outskirts for both genders. The median of township life expectancies at birth in Beijing was 80.6 years (95% credible interval [Crl]: 79.1–82.0) for men and 85.3 years (Crl: 82.7–87.9) for women. The inequality across townships, measured as the difference between the 20th and 80th percentiles of township life expectancies, was 8.5 years for men and 8.8 years for women, respectively. The geographic pattern of life expectancy was similar in men and women and townships with high life expectancy were concentrated in central urban areas for both genders. CONCLUSIONS:Life expectancy and all-cause mortality varied substantially across townships in Beijing. Studies by small area may aid the development of local policies to reduce health inequalities. KEYWORDS: Life expectancy, Health inequalities, Bayesian spatial analysis, Small-area analysis

آیا اهداف حفظ و ارتقای سلامت جامعه با انتخاب وزیر بهداشت مناسب تامین می شود

Introduction: The article Components of choosing the Minister of Health and Medical Education was published on 10 July 2021 on the Tabnak website (1). It seems that even if the Minister of Health is selected based on the components mentioned in the article, it still will not be possible to achieve the goal of providing, maintaining, and promoting health for all of society. Achieving the health goal depends not only on the choice of the Minister of Health but also on more important factors, such as the health system, medical education, and training of health managers. Just as the author of the article on the Tabenak website used the opportunity of the election of a new president in Iran for remembering the goals of a sound health system, the editor of the Journal of SALAMAT-I IJTIMAI also used the opportunity to publish his comments about that article. I recommend reading the article published in Tabnak (1) before continuing to read this commentary. Materials and Methods: The relationship between current health expenditure per capita and life expectancy was analyzed in this commentary. Gapminder graphs were used to give a general aspect, and the World Bank data provided details. Results: Among 191 countries, 99 (52%) have health ministers who are non-physicians. However, the distribution of these countries differs among developed and developing worlds. While the health ministers of most developed countries are non-physicians, the health ministers of most developing countries are physicians. Among the 40 countries with the highest life expectancy globally, the United States, with the highest current health expenditure per capita, has 79.11 years (rank =37). Thirty-six countries achieved a higher life expectancy with a lower budget spent. For example, Japan, which has the highest life expectancy globally, spends only 40%, or Panama, with a similar life expectancy, spends only 11% of the United States. Conclusion: Although the United States spends the most money on health globally, it has not led to a high life expectancy in that community. At least 40 countries globally have equal or more life expectancy than the United States with less money expenditure. Without a health system, a medical education program tailored to the needs and resources of the country, the Minister of Health alone will not be an influential factor in providing, maintaining, and promoting health for all members of the community. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to review the medical education program based on the needs and resources of the country. Also, the decision-makers of the health system should be changed to persons with related knowledge and qualifications, instead of specialized and sub-specialized physicians, to provide the possibility of changing the health system according to the needs and resources of the country. Excell (1) Excell (2) Excell (3) Conflict of Interest: None of the authors has any conflict of interest to disclose. Ethical publication statement: We confirm that we have read the Journal's position on issues involved in ethical publication and affirm that this report is consistent with those guidelines. How to cite this article: Kolahi A.A. Is it Possible to Maintain and Promote Public Health just by Choosing a Proper Minister of Health? Salāmat-i ijtimāī (Community Health). 2021; 8(2): 342-348. DOI: http://doi.org/10.22037/ch.v8i2.31485. REFERENCES: 1.Determinants for selecting of Health Minster. Available from: tabnak.ir/004SY0 (Accessed 12 August 2021). 2.Available from: https://b2n.ir/h16031. (Accessed 15 August 2021). 3.Available from: https://b2n.ir/355460. (Accessed 15 August 2021). 4.Mission of Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Available from: https://b2n.ir/004435 (Accessed 12 August 2021) 5.Available from: http://ayaronline.ir/1395/06/208766.html. (Accessed 12 August 2021) 6.Available from: https://b2n.ir/w76204. (Accessed 12 August 2021). 7.Available from: https://b2n.ir/u31777. (Accessed 12 August 2021). 8.Gapminder. Available from:https://www.gapminder.org/(Accessed 12 August 2021). 9.Azangou-Khiavi, M., & Kolahi, AA. Global Indicators of Health: Changes and New Facts. SALĀMAT-I IJTIMĀĪ (Community Health), 2020, 7(4), 347-359. 10.Current health expenditure per capita (current US$). Last Updated Date 2021-06-30. Available from: https://databank.worldbank.org/reports.aspx?source=2&series=SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS. (Accessed 12 August 2021). 11.Life Expectancy of the World Population. Available from:https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/life-expectancy/. (Accessed 12 August 2021). 12.Documentary of Sicko by Michael Moore. Available from:http://ak.sbmu.ac.ir/uploads/SICKO.mp4. (Accessed 12 August 2021). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License]

Nutritional Content and Characteristics of Pumpkin Cream Soup with Tempeh Addition as Supplementary Food for Elderly.

An increase in the number of elderly people indicates a higher life expectancy. However, this is also a new challenge since the elderly tends to have age-related diseases, thus the physical, psychological, and sensory disorders that will affect their nutritional status. The development of geriatric foods such as cream soup made from pumpkin and tempeh is considered to be the solution to prevent this situation. This study used a factorial randomized design, containing processing methods (fresh and instant) and the addition of tempeh (0%, 75%, and 100%). Sensory evaluation (rating and ranking test), physical characteristics (pH, yield, rehydration, and viscosity), nutritional analysis (proximate, crude fibre, dietary fibre, vitamins B6 and B12, and β-carotene content), and acceptance analysis of cream soup fresh and instant were examined. Physical characterization revealed that the product had a pH of 5.4–5.7, a viscosity of 1250–2190 cP, a rehydration ratio of 5.51–6.47 g mL−1, and a yield of 19.44%–26.9%. The result of sensory evaluation showed that the processing method and tempeh addition had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the product acceptance. This also affects the nutritional value, in which fresh products had higher nutritional value than the instant product, and products with tempeh had higher ash, protein, dietary fibre, and vitamin B12 than products without tempeh. Based on this analysis, the instant cream soup with 75% tempeh is the best formula. In one portion size (50 g), instant cream soup with 75% tempeh met 10% or more of the Indonesian recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for the elderly in terms of protein, carbohydrates, fat, energy, dietary fibre, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and vitamin A, so it can be recommended as a complementary food for the elderly.

Medical education in Italy: Challenges and opportunities

Italy is a country of 60 million citizens with a high life expectancy, an increasing prevalence of chronic multi-morbidity and a public healthcare system. There are 61 medical schools and more than one thousand postgraduate programs for 50 different specialisations. In this article, we describe the Italian medical educational system and its most recent evolution towards a process of internationalization, alongside pedagogical and cultural changes. The main challenges are in the process of students’ selection, which is still only based on the assessment of basic knowledge, and in the reform of the post-graduate education, which lacks an official, formal definition of the learning outcomes and the aligned methods of assessment. The opportunities come from the increasing awareness of the importance of faculty development programs. The pandemic itself acted as a catalyst of innovation, pushing toward more student-centered teaching-learning activities. Finally, an increase in international collaborations in medical education research could be effective to foster the development of medical education in the country.

Inverse correlates of COVID-19 mortality across European countries during the first versus subsequent waves

The objectives of the study were to calculate the standardised mortality rates (SMRs) for COVID-19 in European Union/European Economic Area countries plus the UK and Switzerland and to evaluate the...

Development of a life expectancy table for individuals with type 1 diabetes

Aims/hypothesisTables reporting life expectancies by common risk factors are available for individuals with type 2 diabetes; however, there is currently no published equivalent for individuals with type 1 diabetes. We aimed to develop a life expectancy table using a recently published simulation model for individuals with type 1 diabetes.MethodsThe simulation model was developed using data from a real-world population of patients with type 1 diabetes selected from the Swedish National Diabetes Register. The following six important risk factors were included in the life table: sex; age; current smoking status; BMI; eGFR; and HbA1c. For each of 1024 cells in the life expectancy table, a synthetic cohort containing 1000 individuals was created, with other risk factors assigned values representative of the real-world population. The simulations were executed for all synthetic cohorts and life expectancy for each cell was calculated as mean survival time of the individuals in the respective cohort.ResultsThere was a substantial variation in life expectancy across patients with different risk factor levels. Life expectancy of 20-year-old men varied from 29.3 years to 50.6 years, constituting a gap of 21.3 years between those with worst and best risk factor levels. In 20-year-old women, this gap was 18.9 years (life expectancy range 35.0–53.9 years). The variation in life expectancy was a function of the combination of risk factor values, with HbA1c and eGFR consistently showing a negative and positive correlation, respectively, with life expectancy at any level combination of other risk factors. Individuals with the lowest level (20 kg/m2) and highest level of BMI (35 kg/m2) had a lower life expectancy compared with those with a BMI of 25 kg/m2. Non-smokers and women had a higher life expectancy than smokers and men, respectively, with the difference in life expectancy ranging from 0.4 years to 2.7 years between non-smokers and smokers, and from 1.9 years to 5.9 years between women and men, depending on levels of other risk factors.Conclusions/interpretationThe life expectancy table generated in this study shows a substantial variation in life expectancy across individuals with different modifiable risk factors. The table allows for rapid communications of risk in an easily understood format between healthcare professionals, health economists, researchers, policy makers and patients. Particularly, it supports clinicians in their discussion with patients about the benefits of improving risk factors.Graphical abstract

Post Hoc Analysis of Life Expectancy in West Africa

This paper investigates the effect of country, gender and the associated interaction term on life expectancy in West African countries. The empirical analysis revealed that country and gender have statistically significant effect on life expectancy in West Africa, while the associated interaction term has no significant effect on life expectancy. Thus the removal of the nuisance interaction term seems to improve the predictive task of the statistical model. The empirical findings in this paper revealed that Cape Verde has the highest average life expectancy among all the West African countries, which also ranks highest in the United Nations index of West Africa. The Tukey HSD tests provide statistically significant differences between countries with higher life expectancy and countries with lower life expectancy. This accounts for the variation in life expectancy between the West African countries. Contrary to the notion in some previous reports which believed that countries with higher GDP tend to have a higher life expectancy, and that the difference in life expectancy per difference in GDP per capita is higher for poorer than for richer countries; this paper reveals that most West African countries endowed with natural resources resulting to higher GDP tend to have lower life expectancy.

Точность циркадных часов, здоровье и долголетие

An accurate circadian clock, associated with the precise intrinsic period, tau, can be linked with a definite chronotype and health status. Exemplified by different animal species, and, as we argue herein, may as well be in humans, endogenous tau close enough to 24 hours is associated with higher life expectancy, lower morbidity, and is possibly adhered to moderate morning chronotype. Accurate circadian tau facilitates maintaining a high amplitude of circadian rhythms, a phenotypic trait that is related to health and longevity. Some genetic factors that coordinate tau and ensure circadian clock precision is considered.

Do Cardiovascular Diseases Significantly Influence Healthy Aging?

Population development is reflected by sustainable development indicators, among them are the indicators describing longevity and healthy aging. Longevity is reflected by life expectancy, and healthy aging is reflected by healthy life expectancy; high values of these indicators reflect good conditions of living for people. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy analyses are of big interest among academics, policymakers, medical researchers, and others in order to direct the flow of funds in the most effective way possible to the population groups in most need. High life expectancy and low birth rate will lead to aging of the population, having profound implications on the school age population, politics, healthcare, labor force, social protection, social security issues, and public finances. Healthy life expectancy reflects health conditions, including the impacts of mortality and morbidity. As cardiovascular disease causes more than half of all deaths across Europe, this paper examines the influence of cardiovascular disease on longevity and healthy aging across Europe. The methodology was chosen so as to test the research hypotheses: (a) principal component analysis provided the socio-economic factors that are correlated to longevity and healthy aging; (b) regression analysis identified the relationship between healthy aging and cardiovascular disease; and (c) hierarchical cluster analysis allowed us to find common features of the groups of countries according to healthy aging and longevity.

Women outweighed men at life expectancy in Bangladesh: does it mean a better quality of life?

IntroductionMen had a higher life expectancy than women until 2000 in Bangladesh. After 2000, statistics showed that women had a higher life expectancy than men. We aimed to address whether higher life expectancy is a gain or burden (Failures of Success) for older women. MethodsWe utilised data from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey-2011, Health and Morbidity Status Survey-2014, Population and Housing Census-2011, Household Income and Expenditure Survey-2010, and primary data. We calculated and estimated gender-specific different aspects of quality of life. FindingsFindings showed that the mean age at marriage was 5.8 years lower for women, while life expectancy was three years higher than men; thus, women were expected to live for 8.8 years alone. Both disabilities and morbidities were higher among women than men; hence they had lower healthy life expectancy. About 53% of women could work daily activities while 8% higher for men. Only 2.4% of women earned while almost 58% for men. Depression and loneliness were also higher among women than men. The value of the active ageing index and quality of life were also lower for women than men. ConclusionThis study overall found that there were the Failures of Success especially for older women in Bangladesh, as increasing life expectancies led them to extra years of chronic illness, economic insolvency, more anxiety and depression, and increasing misery. Therefore, sex and gender and their inherent differences should inform decision making to promote gender equity in health. The government and policymakers may intervene for quality of life, especially for women, through reducing gender stereotypes and increasing community engagement. Without considering the quality of life, healthy ageing cannot be ensured.

Is Financial Inclusion a Determinant of Life Expectancy? Evidence from West African Region

This study is a contribution to the debate on the significance of financial inclusion with much emphasis on its impacts on human life span. The sample used for the analyses consisted of 14 West African countries over the period 2010 and 2018. The study employed a dynamic 2-Step System GMM approach, and under different model specifications, control for public and private health expenditure, food production quality, population, access to electricity, and the number of people practicing open defecation. The estimated results, among others, showed considerable evidence of positive feedback of financial inclusion on human life span. As such, substantial improvement in the access to and use of financial services is key to a high life expectancy in the region.

Correlation of COVID-19 with Parkinson’s disease and life expectancy indicates female population predominance in future

Neurological diseases are prevalent in the populations from the developed nations including Europe and North America, while South America also shows a high prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD). Although. PD is among the most prevalent neurodegenerative conditions, its cause remains largely unknown. Changing age structure and marked demographic shifts, with progressively larger percentage of their populations entering old age, has been seen in many countries. Females have been found to have a higher life expectancy and longevity than males at any age. We compiled the freely available data on COVID-19, and statistics on life expectancy, and ageing population from the United Nations. The XY-scatter plots with regression analysis were used to assess the correlation between case fatality rate (CFR)/deaths and life expectancy of various countries. We infer that the SARS-00V-2 mediated infections mostly affected the elderly people of age 60+years, who accounted for approximately 50% (20-88.45%) of the total deaths by COVID-19. However, females were found to be 1.66 times less prone to COVID-19-induced deaths compared to the males. The X Y-scatter plot showed no correlation between life expectancy and CFR or deaths due to COVID-19. Similar patterns of CFR/deaths by COVID-19 and PD prevalence were also observed in Europe and America. All the factual data including increased susceptibility of males to COVID-19 and PD, along with relatively less life expectancy than females, indicate that the world may virtually be heading towards a predominantly female older population. However, caution may be exercised in interpreting the results of this preliminary study that may be affected by incorrect or biased reporting on COVID-19 data, regional variations in the infectivity by new mutant strains of SARC-COV-2, and the prevalence and epidemiology of PD and COVID-19 might also affect the associated risk factors for PD in certain population.