Higher Levels Of Household Income Research Articles

Gender differences in heart diseases: Evidence from Turkey

ObjectivesThis study examines gender differences in heart disease experiences of individuals in Turkey by employing individual level data from a nationally representative survey. MethodsBy using Turkish Health Survey, this study constructs a binary indicator for heart disease experiences of individuals, which accounts for heart problems such as myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease and angina pectoris. Binary logistic regression models are estimated for quantification of associations between prevalence of heart diseases, gender and other risk factors. ResultsEmpirical results imply that females are significantly less likely to experience heart diseases in Turkey. Age and hypertension issues are directly correlated with heart problems for both males and females. Perceived health status is negatively associated with probability of experiencing heart diseases for both males and females in Turkey. Having diabetes is a positive significant predictor of heart disease experiences for Turkish females. Females with higher household income level are less likely to have heart diseases. Finally, education level and lifestyle indicators such as smoking, physical activity, fruit, vegetable and alcohol consumption display mixed results. ConclusionsThis study suggests that there are gender differences in prevalence and risk factors of heart diseases in Turkey. Complementing the earlier literature, findings of this study imply that gender specific health interventions would be effective in coping with heart related diseases.

Factors Related to Employment Situation among Korean Cancer Survivors: Results from a Population-Based Study

Background:Due to the increased incidence and survival rate of cancer, the number of cancer survivors has been increasing. In addition, many problems have been reported regarding the employment of these survivors. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the employment situation of cancer survivors and associated factors.Methods:We analyzed data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2014), which is a nationwide cross-sectional health survey, and included a total of 1,060 participants who were diagnosed with cancer. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the factors associated with the participants’ employment situation.Results:The employment rate among cancer survivors was 42.0%. The variables found to be associated with being employed were male gender, younger age, higher household income level, educational level at middle school level or under, and not having activity limitations.Conclusion:These findings suggest that, in addition to cancer-related factors, general characteristics such as gender, age, household income, and education level are important factors associated with the employment status of Korean cancer survivors.

Febrile seizures: Are they truly benign? Longitudinal analysis of risk factors and future risk of afebrile epileptic seizure based on the national sample cohort in South Korea, 2002–2013

PurposeWe performed a large, population-based study to analyze the risk factors of the febrile seizures and the subsequent afebrile epileptic seizures. MethodsRelevant data from children born between 2002–2007 were retrieved from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort 2002-2013. Children who did not survive the first five years were excluded from the analysis. The risk factors for febrile seizures were assessed separately in per-person and per-febrile case analyses, and factors contributing to an increased risk of subsequent afebrile epileptic seizures were identified. ResultsA total of 54,233 children were included and the five-year prevalence rate of febrile seizure was 11.19%. In the per-person analysis, male sex, preterm birth and brain injury at birth increased the risk of febrile seizure with odds ratios of 1.17, 1.40 and 1.97 (all p < 0.001), respectively. A high household income level was associated with reduced odds of febrile seizure. In the per-febrile illness analysis, male sex, brain injury at birth, presumed bacterial infection, gastrointestinal or genitourinary infection and unspecified sepsis were independent risk factors of a febrile seizure during febrile illness. The cumulative number of febrile seizure episodes, especially more than the third episodes, was associated with a new diagnosis of an afebrile epileptic seizure within one year. ConclusionSex, preterm birth, brain injury at birth, presumed bacterial infection, genitourinary and gastrointestinal infections and unspecified sepsis were identified as likely risk factors for febrile seizures. A greater number of febrile seizure episodes was associated with a higher probability of subsequent afebrile epileptic seizures.

Abstract C72: Changing patterns of socioeconomic inequalities in women cancer screening in South Korea with ten years follow-up of nationwide cross-sectional study

Abstract C72: Changing patterns of socioeconomic inequalities in women cancer screening in South Korea with ten years follow-up of nationwide cross-sectional study

Prevalence and risk factors of elevated alanine aminotransferase among Korean adolescents: 2001-2014

BackgroundAn elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level is a surrogate marker of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common liver disorder in adolescents. The majority of previous NAFLD studies in adolescents were performed in selected obese populations or had a cross-sectional design without a time-trend analysis. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and time trends of elevated ALT levels in a general adolescent population and to identify factors associated with ALT elevation.MethodsWe analysed data of adolescent participants (aged 10–18 years) from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001–2014, a representative sample of the general population in South Korea. Suspected NAFLD was defined as ALT elevation (> 30 U/L) without hepatitis B surface antigen. In all statistical analyses, sampling weight- and design-based data were used.ResultsALT was elevated in 5.3% (standard error: 0.3%) of the study population of adolescent participants (N = 8455). No significant trends were found from 2001 to 2014 in the prevalence of elevated ALT among male and female adolescents. In multiple logistic regression analysis, elevated ALT was independently associated with sex (odds ratio [OR] male versus female 4.5; 95% CI, 3.3-6.2), obesity (OR 7.6; 95% CI, 5.3-11.0), and truncal obesity (OR 2.5; 95% CI, 1.8-3.5). Furthermore, male sex, obesity, truncal obesity and high household income level were associated with log-transformed ALT levels in multiple regression analysis.ConclusionsIn Korean adolescents of both genders, the prevalence of elevated ALT levels was stable from 2001 to 2014. This study has revealed that sex, obesity, truncal obesity and household income level are associated with ALT elevation in adolescents.

Improved water-management practices and their impact on food security and poverty: empirical evidence from rural Pakistan

Abstract Using a comprehensive data set collected through field survey of 950 farmers across Pakistan, the current study evaluates water-management practices and their impact on food security and poverty. The results show that rural households mainly adopted four water-management practices (bund making, deep plowing, the adoption of stress-tolerant varieties, and irrigation supplements) and that the wealth, education, and gender of the farmer (male) positively influences the adoption of improved water-management practices. The propensity score matching approach shows that the adoption of improved water-management practices improves wheat and rice yields, household income and food security levels, and reduces poverty levels. The food security levels of households adopting improved water-management practices are higher: in the range of 3–12%. Higher wheat yields are in the range of 26.8–70.4 kg/acre and higher rice yields are in the range of 48.4–85.2 kg/acre. Higher household income levels are in the range of rupees 2,573–4,926 and the lower poverty levels are in the range of 2–7%. Hence, agricultural policy should promote improved water-management practices among rural households.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Cervical and Breast Cancer Screening among Women in Korea, 2005-2015.

PurposeConsistent evidence indicates that cervical and breast cancer screening rates are low among socioeconomically deprived women. This study aimed to assess trends in cervical and breast cancer screening rates and to analyze socioeconomic inequalities among Korean women from 2005 to 2015.Materials and MethodsData from the Korean National Cancer Screening Survey, an annual nationwide cross-sectional survey, were utilized. A total of 19910 women were finally included for analysis. Inequalities in education and household income status were estimated by slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII), along with calculation of annual percent changes (APCs), to show trends in cancer screening rates.ResultsCervical and breast cancer screening rates increased from 54.8% in 2005 to 65.6% in 2015 and from 37.6% in 2005 to 61.2% in 2015, respectively. APCs in breast cancer screening rates were significant among women with higher levels of household income and education status. Inequalities by household income in cervical cancer screening uptake were observed with a pooled SII estimate of 10.6% (95% CI: 8.1 to 13.2) and RII of 1.4 (95% CI: 1.3 to 1.6). Income inequalities in breast cancer screening were shown to gradually increase over time with a pooled SII of 5.9% (95% CI: 2.9 to 9.0) and RII of 1.2 (95% CI: 0.9 to 1.3). Educational inequalities appeared to diminish over the study period for both cervical and breast cancer screening.ConclusionOur study identified significant inequalities among socioeconomically deprived women in cervical and breast cancer screening in Korea. Especially, income-related inequalities were greater than education-related inequalities, and these were constant from 2005 to 2015 for both cervical and breast cancer screening.

The value of a purposeful life: Sense of purpose predicts greater income and net worth

Having a sense of purpose in life appears valuable across life domains, though it remains unclear whether purpose also provides financial value to individuals. The current study examined sense of purpose as a predictor of concurrent and longitudinal income and net worth levels, using two waves of the MIDUS sample of adults (N=4660 across both assessments). Participants who reported a higher sense of purpose had higher levels of household income and net worth initially, and were more likely to increase on these financial outcomes over the nine years between assessments. Interaction tests suggested some evidence of age moderation, but gender did not appear to moderate the influence of purpose on economic outcomes.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Therapy Use in a Diverse New Mexican Population.

To describe differences, attitudes, and experiences in use of complementary and alternative medicines and therapy (CAMT) in people living in New Mexico (NM). Cross-sectional survey study. Clinics staffed by the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy faculty between September 2009 and August 2011 in Albuquerque, NM. Patients 18 years of age or older or parents of patients younger than age 18 years. Descriptive statistics for survey results and mean scores for attitudinal items. Chi-square, t-test, and analysis of variance were used to compare differences between groups across demographic variables. A convenience sample yielded 263 completed surveys. Of the respondents, 62% were male, 39% were single, and 50% were Hispanic. Nearly 56% of respondents used CAMT in the previous 6 months; 38% used CAMT in addition to and 11% used CAMT instead of prescription medications. Average number of CAMT used per respondent was 2.3 ± 1.6. A majority of respondents indicated that their CAMT use in the previous 6 months was useful, a good idea, easy to use, and likely to continue. CAMT use was significantly higher in female respondents (p = 0.03), those with a higher education level (p < 0.01), and those with a higher household income level (p = 0.03). Prevalence of CAMT is high in a diverse population of patients. Older respondents were more likely to use CAMT in addition to prescription medications, and younger respondents were more likely to use CAMT instead of prescription medications. Providers need to consider CAMT use when discussing treatment options with patients.

Factors Influencing Self-Management in Chinese Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Diabetes is a major public health problem in China. Diabetes self-management is critical for patients to achieved better health outcomes, however, previous studies have shown suboptimal diabetes self-management performance. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify factors associated with diabetes self-management in Chinese adults. The results showed that confrontation, resignation, overall health beliefs, perceived susceptibility, perceived barriers, and self-efficacy were factors associated with overall diabetes self-management performance and six aspects of diabetes self-management behaviors. There is some limited evidence to suggest that provider-patient communication, married individuals, higher educational level, and higher household income level may also be linked to better diabetes self-management practice. Having healthcare insurance and utilizing chronic illness resources generally appeared to have a favorable effect on diabetes self-management performance. In addition, there were a number of factors for which the evidence is too limited to be able to ascertain its strength of association with diabetes self-management practice. The findings of this review suggest that diabetes self-management behaviors are affected by a wide range of personal and environmental factors, which allow health care providers to develop theory-based strategies to improve diabetes-self-management behaviors in this population.

Exploring the Housing Pathways of Low-Income Women: A Biographical Approach

This research explores the use of a housing pathways framework and a biographical method to improve our understanding of the long-term housing experiences of low-income women. Biographical methods have been employed in the study of vulnerable and special populations outside of the US; however, there has been limited application of the method to examine low-income households within the US. This study draws on interviews of 29 low-income women with children in a large Midwestern metropolitan area to examine the nature of low-income housing pathways. The wages provided in the jobs that were available to the women in this study were insufficient to afford even low-quality, low-rent apartments, suggesting that the ability to achieve stability in modest housing is predicated on achieving much higher levels of household income. Federal rental assistance provided through the Housing Choice Voucher programme, rather than increased job stability or wages, resulted in improved housing conditions and stability for the women in this study. Biographical methods present great potential in providing a nuanced understanding of the housing experiences and life circumstances of low-income households and other vulnerable populations in the United States.

친환경농산물 구매지출에 대한 소비자지식과 소비자태도 영향

This study analyzed the effects of consumer knowledge and attitudes toward spending on environment-friendly agricultural products. Using data collected from 486 Ulsan housewives, results showed each score of consumer knowledge on and attitude to environment-friendly agricultural products was the middle level, and that mean monthly expenditure on environment-friendly agricultural products was 91,193 won. A multiple regression analysis was computed and indicated that higher spending on environmentally friendly agricultural products was related to high levels of consumer knowledge, positive attitudes to environment-friendly agricultural products, higher levels of household income, being a housewife in terms of occupation position, and post-graduate education levels. Furthermore, results also implied that consumer knowledge and attitudes to environment-friendly agricultural products were of greater influences than the demographic variables in their influence over spending on environment-friendly agricultural products.

To Buy or not to Buy: Family Dynamics and Children's Consumption

This article draws on data from a qualitative study of children living in families with either low or high levels of household income and outlines the intrafamilial dynamics that surround young children's relationships to contemporary consumer culture. The motivation for parents to provide their children with particular commodities, how parents prioritised children's requests and the rationale they used to buy or not to buy certain items was much more complex than parents simply ‘giving in’ to pester power. In the main, parents were making very considered judgements based on a range of factors. Wider social changes were seen as being contributory to new forms of consumption and thus new experiences of childhood which meant parents having to deal with an aspect of their children's lives that was much more problematic than they had experienced in their own childhoods.

Pathways to Homeownership: An Analysis of the Residential Location and Homeownership Choices of Black Households in Los Angeles

Recent studies have documented substantially depressed levels of homeownership among African-American households. While prior analyses have focused largely on racial disparities in household financial characteristics, few studies have assessed the potential role of location choice and locational attributes in the homeownership choice decision. This research applies individual-level Census data from the Los Angeles area to explicitly model the residential location and tenure choice decisions of African-American households. Research findings indicate substantial variation across African-American and white households in the determinants of locational choice among South Central L.A., other parts of Los Angeles, and Inland Empire (San Bernardino County) areas. The predicted location choice of white households was overwhelmingly that of suburban areas of Los Angeles County; in contrast, the typical African-American household was nearly as likely to locate in South Central Los Angeles as in other parts of the County. Further, the probability of white household moves to South Central Los Angeles was relatively insensitive to simulated variation in household socio-economic characteristics and remained throughout at approximately 2 percent. While higher levels of household income exerted significant positive effects on the likelihood of black moves to the Inland Empire, the opposite outcome was shown for white households. Among blacks that move to San Bernardino County or to South Central Los Angeles, imputation of white economic endowments served to fully close the sizable black-white homeownership choice gap. However, in other Los Angeles neighborhoods, a sizable endowment-adjusted homeownership gap was shown to persist. Overall, assessment of variations in the intra-metropolitan locational and tenure choices of black households indicated several distinct pathways to homeownership among black households in Los Angeles. In so doing, the analysis accounted for in excess of three-fourths of the gap in homeownership rates between Los Angeles white and black households.

Race, socioeconomic status, and obesity in 9- to 10-year-old girls: The NHLBI growth and health study

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether measures of socioeconomic status (SES) are inversely associated with obesity in 9- to 10-year-old black and white girls and their parents. Subjects were participants in the Growth and Health Study (NGHS) of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Extensive SES, anthropometric, and dietary data were collected at baseline on 2379 NGHS participants. The prevalence of obesity was examined in the NGHS girls and parents in relation to SES and selected environmental factors. Less obesity was observed at higher levels of household income and parental education in white girls but not in black girls. Among the mothers of the NGHS participants who were seen, lower prevalence of obesity was observed with higher levels of income and education for white mothers, but no consistent patterns were seen in black mothers. Univariate logistic models indicated that the prevalence of obesity was significantly and inversely associated with parental income and education and number of parents in the household in white girls whereas caloric intake and TV viewing were significantly and positively associated with obesity. Among black girls, only TV viewing was significantly and positively associated with the prevalence of obesity. Multivariate logistic regression models revealed that lower parental educational attainment, one-parent household, and increased caloric intake were significantly associated with the prevalence of obesity in white girls; for black girls, only increased hours of TV viewing were significant in these models. It is concluded that socioeconomic status, as measured by education and income, was related to the prevalence of obesity in girls, with racial variation in these associations. A lower prevalence of obesity was seen at higher levels of socioeconomic status in white girls, whereas no clear relationship was detected in black girls. These findings raise new questions regarding the correlates of obesity in black girls.

Food Expenditures at Home and Away from Home in the United States--A Switching Regression Analysis

The results of this study showed that the decision to eat away from home was positively affected by income while the amount spent away from home was only affected by income, again positively, at higher levels of household income. Food expenditures at home were similarly affected by income only at higher levels of household income provided the household also ate away from home. If the household did not eat away from home, food expenditures at home were positively affected by income at all levels, the effect decreasing in magnitude with the level of income. A SIGNIFICANT economic trend in recent )&Vdecades is the declining share of consumer expenditures on food. Expenditures for food fell steadily from 20.0% of disposable personal income in 1960 to 16.1% in the third quarter of 1983 (USDA). This drop occurred as a result of a decline in the share of consumer expenditures on food purchased for consumption at home. The share of consumer expenditures on meals purchased at restaurants, cafeterias, and fast food chains remained constant at about 4% of disposable personal income. Hence the consumption of purchased meals away from home has become more important relative to food consumed at home. A number of studies on food consumption at home and away from home have been made. Houthakker and Taylor (1970) obtained results that indicate away from home food expenditures were more responsive to total consumption expenditures than at home expenditures based on 1960-61 household budget data. Time-series data were also employed by Houthakker and Taylor to investigate the dynamics of food consumption. Prochaska and Schrimper (1973) found that along with income the opportunity cost of time is an important factor in determining away from home food consumption. Fishe et al. (1979), employing simple and heteroscedastic Tobit models, found that income and household specific circumstances are important determinants of restaurant expenditures. Lamm (1982) estimated a translog demand system for food consumed at home, purchased meals, and non-food items. His results indicated that consumers have been eating away from home more often primarily as a result of increases in their incomes. Recently, Huang and Raunikar (1984) estimated Engel equations for at home and away from home food expenditures using ordinary least squares and Tobit regressions, respectively. In their study Huang and Raunikar found that, in general, at home food consumption is less income responsive than away from home food consumption. The major objective of Huang and Raunikar's study was to investigate the importance to household food expenditures of consigned income for committed expenditures. This study further investigates food consumption at home and away from home employing a switching regression model. The same basic data analyzed by Huang and Rauniker (HR) are also analyzed here. However, since the HR study focused on consigned income, households not reporting complete information with regard to committed expenditures, e.g., rent or mortgage, or after-tax income, were not included in their study. In this study, the emphasis is placed on the household's choice of whether to eat out and the factors affecting consequent away from home and at home food expenditures. The sample includes all households that reported before-tax income and is significantly larger than the sample used in the HR study.