Higher Gross Domestic Product Research Articles

The impact of patient heterogeneity and socioeconomic factors on abatacept retention in rheumatoid arthritis across nine European countries

BackgroundThere are substantial differences in accessibility to biological disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) across countries. The objective of this study was to analyse the impact of patient demographics, disease characteristics...

Economic status and temperature-related mortality in Asia.

In developed countries, low latitude and high temperature are positively associated with the population's ability to adapt to heat. However, few studies have examined the effect of economic status on the relationship between long-term exposure to high temperature and health. We compared heterogeneous temperature-related mortality effects relative to the average summer temperature in high-socioeconomic-status (SES) cities to temperature-related effects in low-SES cities. In the first stage of the research, we conducted a linear regression analysis to quantify the mortality effects of high temperature (at or above the 95th percentile) in 32 cities in Taiwan, China, Japan, and Korea. In the second stage, we used a meta-regression to examine the association between mortality risk with average summer temperature and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. In cities with a low GDP per capita (less than 20,000 USD), the effects of temperature were detrimental to the population if the long-term average summer temperature was high. In contrast, in cities with a high GDP per capita, temperature-related mortality risk was not significantly related to average summer temperature. The relationship between long-term average summer temperature and the short-term effects of high temperatures differed based on the city-level economic status.

Global comparison of pediatric surgery workforce and training

IntroductionThe number of pediatric surgeons and their distribution vary greatly throughout the world. The purpose of this study is to examine potential influential factors including the length of education and training, pediatric population, birth rate, and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. MethodsAn internet search was conducted to determine the duration of education from grade school to pediatric surgery fellowship, number of pediatric surgeons, birth rate, GDP, and population under 15years of age in 15 countries. The number of pediatric surgeons per million children was correlated with these factors. ResultsThe number of pediatric surgeons per million children varied from 0.51 to 29.3. The total length of education from grade school to completion of pediatric surgery training ranged from 23 to 29years. There was no correlation between pediatric surgeons per million children with the duration of training. The number of pediatric surgeon per million children was inversely correlated with the birth rate. There was a positive correlation between the GDP per capita and pediatric surgeons per million children. ConclusionThere is a tremendous variability in pediatric surgeons around the world. There appears to be a significant shortage of pediatric surgeons in countries with a high birth rate and low GDP per capita.

High Proportion of Nervous System Disease among Major Cause of Under-Five Death in Korea; Compared with OECD 14 Nations (2005-2010)

<title>Abstract</title><sec><title>Objectives</title><p>To compare the mortality rate of children under ages five from different countries by their causes and to explore the cause of death that is relatively higher in South Korea and came up with measures for resolution.</sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>The statistics were based from section ICD(International Classification of Diseases)-10 of WHO(World Health Organization) Mortality Database. Among the OECD(Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries, 15 countries with higher GDP(Gross Domestic Product) than South Korea were studied by the mortality rate from 2005 to 2010 sorted into two groups: 0 year group and 1-4 years group. Then the cause of death investigated in detail.</sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Among the 15 countries, average mortality of 0 year group in Korea ranked 8th and the average mortality of 1-4 years group ranked 4th out of 15. There were no significance in the mortality of 0 year group caused by any specific disease, but unnatural death was ranked 2nd after the United States. The natural death of 1-4 years group was ranked 6th, and the unnatural death was ranked 2nd after the Unites States. Among the natural deaths of 1-4 years group, the cause of death significantly higher was found to be disease G(nervous system disease). Among the subgroups of disease G, the orders went epilepsy, cerebral palsy, paralysis, and inflammatory disease.</sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>We have identified major causes of death of children under age 5. The highest proportion of cause of death in 1-4 years group was nervous system disease and we have proposed resolution. Henceforth, this data will be used as a foundational data for formulating policies relation to the Mother-Child Health.</sec>

OP0040 Patients from Wealthier Countries Perform Better on Clinical Disease Activity Measures, but Show Worse Person Reported Outcomes

BackgroundInequalities in health between low and high income countries are often reported, but it is not known whether clinical disease activity measures (“objective”) and person reported outcomes (“subjective”) follow the...

Variation in the heritability of body mass index based on diverse twin studies: a systematic review

Over the past three decades, twin studies have shown variation in the heritability of obesity. This study examined the difference of body mass index (BMI) heritability (BMI-H) by population characteristics, such as sex, age, time period of observation and average BMI, as well as by broad social-environmental factors as indicated by country-level gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and GDP growth rate. Twin studies that reported BMI-H and were published in English from January 1990 to February 2011 after excluding those with disease, special occupations or combined heritability estimates for country/ethnic groups were searched in PubMed. 32 studies were identified from Finland (7), the United Kingdom (6), the United States (3), Denmark (3), China (3), Netherlands (2), South Korea (2), Sweden (2) and four from other countries. Meta-regression models with random effects were used to assess variation in BMI-H. Heterogeneity of BMI-H is significantly attributable to variations in age (<20, 20-55 and ≥56 years), time period of observation (i.e. year of data collection), average BMI and GDP (≤$20,000, $20,001-26,000 and >$26,000). BMI-H was higher in adolescents (<20 years), in studies done in past years, and in populations with higher average BMIs or higher GDP per capita (≥$26,000) than their counterparts. Consistent lowering effects of high GDP growth rate (>median) on BMI-H were shown through stratified analyses by GDP. BMI-H was lower in countries of mid-level GDP, particularly those experiencing rapid economic growth. BMI-H is sensitive to age, time period of observation, average BMI, GDP and rapid economic growth.

Analysis of energy intensity in manufacturing industry using mixed-effects models

The paper makes a cross country analysis of the energy intensity in manufacturing sectors. Empirical data for this purpose is gathered from the databases of two international agencies namely the IEA (International Energy Agency) and the UNIDO (UN International Development Organization), which provide energy consumption and manufacturing output data respectively.The analyses are carried out with exploratory as well as formal statistical methods to identify the driving factors explaining energy intensity, identify trends and facilitate comparisons. The results from modeling the energy intensities with a linear mixed-effects model show some driving factors that explain the energy intensities.In general, the energy intensities of industrial sectors decreased around the world. In particular, industrialized countries with higher value of GDP (gross domestic product) per capita tend to have lower energy intensity indicating that efficiency in energy use is achieved along with the technological advancement. Countries with higher GDP and smaller population tend to have lower energy intensity values and a lower energy intensity index.

Migration Background and Subjective Well-Being A Multilevel Analysis Based on the European Social Survey

Abstract Contributing to the debate on the integration of migrants in Europe, this study focuses on Subjective Well-Being (SWB) of people with migration backgrounds compared to people without a migration background – specifying SWB in terms of successful integration. The analyses employ a multilevel perspective (data base: European Social Survey). On the macro level, gross domestic product (GDP), welfare regime, xenophobia and the migrant integration policy index (MIPEX) are considered; on the micro level, social origin, education, unemployment, income deprivation, relationship status, health status and controls. Findings indicate a disadvantage in SWB of first-generation migrants that goes beyond deficits regarding well-studied SWB determinants. The SWB gap between migrants and non-migrants is larger in countries with a high GDP and smaller in countries with a high MIPEX score.

Are Money Smart People Satisfied with Pay and Life? A Theory of Monetary Intelligence

In this study, we develop a theory of Monetary Intelligence, and explore satisfaction with pay and life from the virtuous money smart perspective: In order to enjoy high pay satisfaction and life satisfaction, money smart individuals must become good stewards and curb their love-of-money motive. We collect data from 6,586 managers in 32 geopolitical entities across six continents. After controlling for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita and individual income, results support our theory: Money smart people simultaneously focus on their intellectual virtues of prudence and “fulfillment”—enhancing stewardship behavior (the works) and “contentment”—reducing affective motive (love of money) and keeping cognitive meaning in perspective which are associated with enviable higher pay satisfaction than life satisfaction. GDP is related to life satisfaction, but not to pay satisfaction; while income is related to both. Counter-intuitively, neither GDP nor income is related to the feelings that money brings happiness. Across three levels of the income pyramid, managers in high (low) GDP countries have higher (lower) life satisfaction than pay satisfaction. Our novel discoveries not only demonstrate the application of a new theory of monetary intelligence in a global context but also illustrate intra-personal, inter-personal, and cross-cultural differences in the pursuit of happiness in people’s lives.

Who cares about health inequalities? Cross-country evidence from the World Health Survey.

Reduction of health inequalities within and between countries is a global health priority, but little is known about the determinants of popular support for this goal. We used data from the World Health Survey to assess individual preferences for prioritizing reductions in health and health care inequalities. We used descriptive tables and regression analysis to study the determinants of preferences for reducing health inequalities as the primary health system goal. Determinants included individual socio-demographic characteristics (age, sex, urban residence, education, marital status, household income, self-rated health, health care use, satisfaction with health care system) and country-level characteristics [gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, disability-free life expectancy, equality in child mortality, income inequality, health and public health expenditures]. We used logistic regression to assess the likelihood that individuals ranked minimizing inequalities first, and rank-ordered logistic regression to compare the ranking of other priorities against minimizing health inequalities. Individuals tended to prioritize health system goals related to overall improvement (improving population health and health care responsiveness) over those related to equality and fairness (minimizing inequalities in health and responsiveness, and promoting fairness of financial contribution). Individuals in countries with higher GDP per capita, life expectancy, and equality in child mortality were more likely to prioritize minimizing health inequalities.

Market uptake of orphan drugs - a European analysis

Variations in market uptake of an orphan drug have important implications with respect to access to care and inequality of treatment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to quantify both the sales and volume uptake of orphan drugs in Europe and to assess whether a country's gross domestic product (GDP) and/or health technology assessment (HTA) influences the orphan drugs' market uptake. We analysed the numbers of orphan drugs launched and the sales and volume uptake for 17 orphan drugs in 23 European countries from 2001 until the beginning of 2010 using the IMS Health database. Countries were clustered based on GDP and the availability of a formal HTA-organization. The uptake of orphan drugs varied across European countries. The highest volumes and contributions of orphan drugs in the first year occurred in countries with a high GDP (and implicitly, a higher budget for healthcare), independently of the existence of an HTA-organization. In contrast, in countries with a low GDP, orphan drugs were less available when there was a formal HTA-organization. There, budgetary restrictions can cause the exclusion of less cost-effective orphan drugs. We observed substantial variation in the market uptake of orphan drugs. Such variation may have important implications with respect to access to care and inequality of treatment. The uptake of orphan drugs could be promoted through the clinical added value of orphan drugs (CAVOD) project and various conditional pricing and reimbursement mechanisms.

Economic growth and decline in mortality in developing countries: An analysis of the World Bank development datasets

The 1999 World Bank report claimed that growth in gross domestic product (GDP) between 1960 and 1990 only accounted for 15% of concomitant growth in life expectancy in developing countries. These findings were used repeatedly by the World Health Organization (WHO) to support a policy shift away from promoting social and economic development, towards vertical technology-driven programmes. This paper updates the 1999 World Bank report using the World Bank's 2005 dataset, providing a new assessment of the relative contribution of economic growth. Time-series analysis. Cross-sectional time-series regression analysis using a random effect model of associations between GDP, education and technical progress and improved health outcomes. The proportion of improvement in health indicators between 1970 and 2000 associated with changes in GDP, education and technical progress was estimated. In 1970, a 1% difference in GDP between countries was associated with 6% difference in female (LEBF) and 5% male (LEBM) life expectancy at birth. By 2000, these values had increased to 14% and 12%, explaining most of the observed health gain. Excluding Europe and Central Asia, the proportion of the increase in LEBF and LEBM attributable to increased GDP was 31% and 33% in the present analysis, vs. 17% and 14%, respectively, estimated by the World Bank. In the poorest countries, higher GDPs were required in 2000 than in 1970 to achieve the same health outcomes. In the poorest countries, socio-economic change is likely to be a more important source of health improvement than technical progress. Technical progress, operating by increasing the size of the effect of a unit of GDP on health, is likely to benefit richer countries more than poorer countries, thereby increasing global health inequalities.

Bibliometric assessment of publication output of child and adolescent psychiatric/psychological affiliations between 2005 and 2010 based on the databases PubMed and Scopus

We aimed to determine the quantitative scientific publication output of child and adolescent psychiatric/psychological affiliations during 2005-2010 by country based on both, "PubMed" and "Scopus" and performed a bibliometric qualitative evaluation for 2009 using "PubMed". We performed our search by affiliation related to child and adolescent psychiatric/psychological institutions using "PubMed". For the quantitative analysis for 2005-2010, we counted the number of abstracts. For the qualitative analysis for 2009 we derived the impact factor of each abstract's journal from "Journal Citation Reports". We related total impact factor scores to the gross domestic product (GDP) and population size of each country. Additionally, we used "Scopus" to determine the number of abstracts for each country that was identified via "PubMed" for 2009 and compared the ranking of countries between the two databases. 61% of the publications between 2005 and 2010 originated from European countries and 26% from the USA. After adjustment for GDP and population size, the ranking positions changed in favor of smaller European countries with a population size of less than 20 million inhabitants. The ranking of countries for the count of articles in 2009 as derived from "Scopus" was similar to that identified via the "PubMed" search. The performed search revealed only minor differences between "Scopus" and "PubMed" related to the ranking of countries. Our data indicate a sharp difference between countries with a high versus low GDP with regard to scientific publication output in child and adolescent psychiatry/psychology.

The contribution of cultivated land occupation by construction to China’s economic growth

The paper applies Cobb-Douglas Production Function and Solow-Swan Model to constructing the calculation model of the contribution rate of cultivated land occupation by construction (CLOC) to China’s economic growth, and analyzes the contribution change of CLOC to China’s economic growth qualitatively and quantitatively. The main conclusions are as follows: 1) From 1989 to 2007, the contribution rates of capital, labor, and CLOC to China’s economic growth were 45.76%, 8.47%, and 6.19% respectively. 2) From the period 1989–1996 to the period 1997–2007 the contribution rate of CLOC to China’s economic growth increased from 5.40% to 5.87%. The degree of contribution was enhanced significantly. 3) The contribution of CLOC to China’s economic growth had a spatial distribution characteristic that the contribution rate of eastern coastal regions was the highest, that of central regions came second, and that of western regions the lowest. The paper indicates that in order to enhance the contribution of CLOC to China’s economic growth, some relevant economic and administrative measures might be taken, and land might be used intensively and economically to increase land economic density. The cost of promoting gross domestic product (GDP) growth might be reduced as much as possible to achieve higher GDP growth and lower land resource consumption.

Globalisation and the challenges of unemployment, income inequality and poverty in Africa

There is an urgent need to re-investigate the functional relationship between globalisation, unemployment, income inequality and poverty in Africa. Unemployment accelerates the level of income inequality and poverty within a given society. In spite of the beautiful slogans associated with it, the current globalisation seems to have aggravated the problem of unemployment, the corollary of which is endemic income inequality and mass poverty in Africa. In fact, the trickle down economy pattern has consistently failed Africa. What is good for Wall Street may not necessarily be good for Africa. Viewed from any angle, the African continent seems to have been marginalised and left behind by globalisation. Capitalist globalisation undeniably, created wealth but also intensified inequality and poverty, particularly in Africa. High growth rate of Gross domestic product (GDP) may be a good statistics to parade at international conferences and seminars. However, for the hungry jobless youths in the streets, these are meaningless numbers since they do not translate into job creation or cure their hunger. Therefore, it is high time that African nations look beyond the official statistics of the so called high GDP growth rate and get down to the hard business of creating real jobs that take out the hungry, angry and jobless youths from the streets into workplaces. African countries need to develop comprehensive strategies to create jobs locally. In this paper, the current author posits that there is a strong linkage between globalisation, unemployment, income inequality and poverty in Africa. Some mechanisms were proffered to overcome these bottlenecks. Key words: Globalisation, global competition, government, inequality, poverty and unemployment.

The Association Between Income Inequality and Mental Health: Testing Status Anxiety, Social Capital, and Neo-Materialist Explanations

The 'income inequality hypothesis' holds that beyond a certain level of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, the association between absolute income, health and mortality weakens, and the distribution of income across a society becomes more important as a determinant of a range of outcomes including average mental and physical health. Recent reviews suggest that the empirical reality of the income inequality hypothesis is now established but fierce debate remains about what explains the association. In this article we describe three hypotheses that have emerged in the literature to explain the association—the social capital, the status anxiety and the neo-materialist hypotheses before operationalizing each, and testing their ability to explain the relationship between income inequality measured using the GINI coefficient and mental well-being measured using the WHO5 scale. We use multi-level models and data from the European Quality of Life Survey which contains information from 30 countries and over 35,000 individuals. Results give most support to the status anxiety and social capital hypotheses and almost no support to the neo-materialist hypothesis. Measures representing the social capital hypothesis reduce the coefficient measuring income inequality by 55% in high GDP countries and render it insignificant as well as providing the best fitting model as measured by AIC and BIC value. However, variables representing the status anxiety hypothesis reduce the income inequality coefficient by more in lower GDP countries.

Primary syphilis cases in Guangdong Province 1995-2008: opportunities for linking syphilis control and regional development.

BackgroundSyphilis cases have risen in many parts of China, with developed regions reporting the greatest share of cases. Since syphilis increases in these areas are likely driven by both increased screening and changes in sexual behaviours, distinguishing between these two factors is important. Examining municipal-level primary syphilis cases with spatial analysis allows a more direct understanding of changing sexual behaviours at a more policy-relevant level.MethodsIn this study we examined all reported primary syphilis cases from Guangdong Province, a southern province in China, since the disease was first incorporated into the mandatory reporting system in 1995. Spatial autocorrelation statistics were used to correlate municipal-level clustering of reported primary syphilis cases and gross domestic product (GDP).ResultsA total of 52,036 primary syphilis cases were reported over the period 1995-2008, and the primary syphilis cases increased from 0.88 per 100,000 population in 1995 to 7.61 per 100,000 in 2008. The Pearl River Delta region has a disproportionate share (44.7%) of syphilis cases compared to other regions. Syphilis cases were spatially clustered (p = 0.01) and Moran's I analysis found that syphilis cases were clustered in municipalities with higher GDP (p = 0.004).ConclusionsPrimary syphilis cases continue to increase in Guangdong Province, especially in the Pearl River Delta region. Considering the economic impact of syphilis and its tendency to spatially cluster, expanded syphilis testing in specific municipalities and further investigating the costs and benefits of syphilis screening are critical next steps.

Future demand scenarios of Bangladesh power sector

Data on the future electricity demand is an essential requirement for planning the expansion of a power system. The purpose of this study is to provide a general overview of electricity consumption in Bangladesh, forecast sector-wise electricity demand up to 2035 considering the base year 2005, and compare the results with official projections. The Long-range Energy Alternative Planning (LEAP) model with three scenarios, namely low gross domestic product (GDP) growth, average GDP growth and high GDP growth, is applied in this study. In the low to high GDP growth scenarios, the extent of industrial restructuring and technical advancement is gradually increased. The findings have significant implications with respect to energy conservation and economic development. The study also compares the projected per capita electricity consumption in Bangladesh with the historical growth in several other developing countries. Such an evaluation can create awareness among the planners of power system expansion in Bangladesh to meet the high future demand.

Dynamic Effects of the Chinese GDP and Number of Higher Education Based on Cointegrating

This study’s objective was to the issue for the impact between regular higher education scale and GDP in China. We integrate Unit Root Test, Cointegration Test, Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), Variance Decomposition, etc. The sample is to use the annual data of GDP and number of Students Enrollment of Regular Institutions from 1952 to2004. Empirical results show that there is co-integration relation between GDP and number of Students Enrollment of Regular Institutions and economic growth can affect higher education scale and the contribution of education to economic growth is increasing gradually. To achieve good interaction between higher education and economic growth, the advice is that make scientific policy of regular higher education scale’s expansion.Key Word: Gross Domestic Product (GDP); Granger causality test; Vector Error Correction Model; Cointegration Test; number of Students Enrollment of Regular Institutions

Dynamic Material Flow Analysis for Strategic Construction and Demolition Waste Management in Beijing

SummaryOf all materials extracted from the earth's crust, the construction sector uses 50%, producing huge amounts of construction and demolition waste (CDW). In Beijing, presently 35 million metric tons per year (megatonnes/year [Mt/yr]) of CDW are generated. This amount is expected to grow significantly when the first round of mass buildings erected in the 1990s starts to be demolished. In this study, a dynamic material flow analysis (MFA) is conducted for Beijing's urban housing system, with the demand for the stock of housing floor area taken as the driver. The subsequent effects on construction and demolition flows of housing floor area and the concurrent consumption and waste streams of concrete are investigated for Beijing from 1949 and projected through 2050. The per capita floor area (PCFA) is a key factor shaping the material stock of housing. Observations in Beijing, the Netherlands, and Norway indicate that PCFA has a strong correlation with the local gross domestic product (GDP). The lifetime of dwellings is one of the most important variables influencing future CDW generation. Three scenarios, representing the current trend extension, high GDP growth, and lengthening the lifetime of dwellings, are analyzed. The simulation results show that CDW will rise, unavoidably. A higher growth rate of GDP and the consequent PCFA will worsen the situation in the distant future. Prolonging the lifetime of dwellings can postpone the arrival of the peak CDW. From a systematic view, recycling is highly recommended for long‐term sustainable CDW management.