Pooled Cross-sectional Data Research Articles

From coupon to calories: Assessing input coupon impact on household food calories production

The primary objective of most farm households in Malawi is to secure sufficient food for their own needs. In this paper we assess the impact of farm input subsidy vouchers on household food caloric production. We used pooled cross-sectional household data from the 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019 Malawian Living Standards Measurement Study and Integrated Survey on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) to fit a two-stage panel fixed effect model under an endogenous treatment assignment setting. Our findings suggest that benefits from an existing input coupon positively affect household food calories production. Also, we found the flexible coupon traded for either compound fertilizer, urea, or improved maize seed to have the greatest impact. Furthermore, larger farm holders and coupons receivers in 2019 had the highest coupon impact on caloric production. Expanding subsidy programs could result in improved food availability for farming households.

Socio-economic disparities and accessibility to age-appropriate screening tools.

1529 Background: Pervasive racial and ethnic health disparities continue to be reported throughout the U.S. population. An increasing number of studies have discussed racial disparities in cancer statistics as well as socio-economic differences. The purpose of this study is to investigate sociodemographic health care disparities and the prevalence of cancer diagnosis in the context of challenges in medical services accessibility due to financial burden. Methods: Analysis of pooled cross-sectional data using 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Differences between our comparison groups were computed using chi square test for categorical values and t-test for continuous variables. Demographic factors were analyzed through weighted regression for accessibility to cancer treatment and prior cancer screening. Results: We report data from a total of 436,198 respondents to the 2017 BRFSS survey, with cancer prevalence 9.8% and higher prevalence of cancer among females and elderly population (70 years and older). Racial disparities differed significantly between respondents with and without history of cancer, with higher prevalence in Hispanic and multiracial minorities, 19% and 14%, respectively. We also report, differences in annual income are significantly associated with increased cancer prevalence in lower socioeconomic populations. Nineteen percent of participants who had annual income less than 25k were diagnosed with cancer. Additionally, analyzing the association between delayed medical care due to financial burden and its correlation with accessibility to age-appropriate cancer screening tools. We report significant differences in receipt of cancer screening among respondents, with consistently lower probabilities of receiving age-appropriate screening tools among participants who experienced delays in medical care due to cost, that applies to all screening tools. Among respondents who did not receive screening mammograms, 17% reported delays in medical care due to medical cost. Twelve percent of participants who did not receive screening colonoscopy suffered delays in medical care due to cost. Also, among participants who did not receive screening for prostate cancer with PSA testing, 11% reported delays in medical care due to cost. Conclusions: Health care disparities in cancer screening continue to persist including differences in socioeconomic classes and access to medical services. In this study, we report that patients with delayed access to medical services due to cost are not adequately receiving age-appropriate screening for cancer. Given the deleterious effects of delayed diagnosis and treatment of cancer, it is important that public health and clinical professionals utilize tools to improve cancer screening accessibility to minorities with socio-economic disparities.

661 Chronotype, Mood, and Diabetes-Related Distress in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract Introduction Chronotype refers to an individual’s preferred timing of sleep and wakefulness, which can be classified as ‘normal’ or ‘late’ chronotypes. The purpose of this study was to examine whether late sleep timing was associated with impaired mood and diabetes-related distress in persons with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods The study is a secondary analysis of pooled cross-sectional baseline data from two studies of treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (R01-DK96028) and insomnia (K24-NR016685) in persons with T2D. Sleep timing was measured by the bedtime from a 7-day sleep diary. “Normal” sleep timing was defined as bedtime between 9PM to 12AM ≥ 85% per week. “Late” sleep timing as bedtime after 12AM with normal sleep timing < 85% per week. Other sleep variables evaluated were sleep duration, daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS]), and OSA severity (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI]). The Profiles of Mood States measured Total Mood Disturbance (TMD) and the subscales of Tension-Anxiety (T-A), Depression-Dejection (D-D), Anger-Hostility (A-H), Vigor-Activity (V-A), Fatigue-Inertia (F-I), and Confusion-Bewilderment (C-B). Diabetes-related distress was measured by the Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID). Hierarchical multiple regression was performed to determine whether sleep timing was associated with mood and diabetes-related distress. Results The sample (N=296) had 61% with late sleep timing (n=181). Persons with normal vs late sleep timing were similar in age, sex, race, and education (p >.05). Persons with late sleep timing were less likely to be partnered, had shorter sleep duration and greater mood impairment (TMD and T-A, D-D, A-H, C-B subscales) than those with normal timing (all p values <.05); there was no significant difference by sleep timing in PAID scores (p=.256). Hierarchical regression analyses adjusting for demographics (age, sex, race, marital status, education level), clinical (HbA1c, BMI), and sleep variables (sleep duration, ESS, AHI) revealed that late sleep timing was not significantly associated with impaired mood (TMD and subscales) or PAID. However, ESS was statistically significant in predicting greater TMD (β=.310, p <.001), mood subscales (all p-values <.05) and PAID (β =.222, p <.001). Conclusion Daytime sleepiness, not late sleep timing, is a significant sleep-related symptom for increased mood impairment and diabetes-related distress in persons with T2D. Support (if any):

Court fairness and firm level export decisions

This paper is the first micro-level study in the international trade literature to examine the causal relationship between court fairness and the firm-level export decisions (propensity and intensity). The paper uses firm-level data from South Asian countries collected and maintained by the World Bank for empirical analysis. Methodologically, the study uses IVprobit and 2SLS models to analyze the pooled cross-sectional data. I estimate various specifications to show that court fairness increases the export share as well as the likelihood that a firm becomes an exporter. Results are robust for both intensive and extensive margins of trade.

Which Consumers are Least Likely to Have a Balanced Diet in Japan?

There have been only a few large-scale nationwide studies regarding the frequency of eating a balanced diet consisting of staple food, the main dish, and side dishes in Japan. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify factors affecting the frequency of eating a balanced meal that consists of staple food, the main dish, and side dishes twice a day. We analyzed the secondary data of 13,772 responses from the 7-year pooled cross-sectional data of the nationwide Surveys of Attitudes toward Shokuiku (Food and Nutrition Education) by the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. Ordered logit regression was used to find factors affecting the frequency of having a balanced diet. Our estimation results suggested that gender, age, cohabitation, eating meals with family, subjective economic status, and residential area could be factors affecting the probability of having balanced meals every day. In conclusion, single men in their 20s-50s, single men in their 80s, older male adults living but not eating together with family, single women in their 20s-30s, and individuals with low economic status were identified as high-risk groups who do not have a balanced diet in Japan. Moreover, we found that the government health promotion program called Kenko Nippon 2013 (Health Japan 21, the second term) did not improve the dietary behavior of the consumer in Japan.

Effects of Working Capital Management on Profitability: A Case of Nepalese Manufacturing Firms

The study deals with the relationship between firm characteristics of working capital management and firm profitability in Nepal. It examines if firm performance, return on assets is related to cash conversion cycle, days’ sales outstanding, days’ inventory outstanding and current ratio. The study is based on pooled cross-sectional data of 10 non-financial firms from 2071/72 to 2075/76 of listed firms in the Nepal Stock Exchange. The study employed descriptive and causal-comparative research design to attainthe purpose of this study. The result reveals that the current ratio has a positively significant relationship with profitability and days’ sale outstanding has negatively significant relationship with the financial performance of the firm.

What Determines Job Creations from FDI Inflow to Africa?

Africa is a continent with a high proportion of the youthful population, stagnated economic growth, and high unemployment. The policymakers and researchers try to find the job creation determinants in Africa, which would be a potential solution for prolonged unemployment in Africa. The paper analyzed what determine the employment benefits from FDI inflow to Africa through examining the industry, the differentials of per unit FDI job creation among home countries of multinational enterprises (MNEs) as well as the host countries using pooled cross-sectional data from Financial Times (2003-2017). The paper employs Ordinary Least Squared (OLS) and Two-Stage Least Squared (2SLS) techniques. The key findings show that employment benefits from FDI inflow vary across the host countries due to different levels of local labor quality and industrial investment. The study also reveals that the per-unit FDI job creation varies across source countries because of MNE’s labor-intensity and sector concentration heterogeneity. This sample covers all 54 African countries. Keywords: Greenfield FDI, Brownfield FDI, Job Creation, MNEs, Sector. DOI: 10.7176/DCS/11-3-04 Publication date: March 31 st 2021

Age-related height loss and health-related quality of life in a nationwide Korean survey.

This study examined the association between self-reported height loss and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Korean adults older than 50years. Analyses were based on pooled cross-sectional data from 6,123 participants over 50years of age in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2008 and 2011. HRQoL was measured using the EuroQol five-dimensional (EQ-5D) instrument. Height loss was calculated as the difference between the recalled tallest height in participants' past and their currently measured height. The inverse association between height loss and HRQoL was dose-dependent and strongest for mobility and usual activity dimensions. Fully adjusted EQ-5D index scores were lower in the height-loss group than in the no height-loss group, and these trends were most notable among men or participants with co-morbid conditions. Height loss is associated with poor HRQoL among Korean adults.

Higher maternal autonomy is associated with reduced child stunting in Malawi

Child undernutrition is a major health problem in Malawi. We assessed the association between maternal autonomy and child stunting in Malawi. We utilized nationally representative pooled cross-sectional data from the 2010 and 2015/16 Malawi Demographic and Health Surveys (MDHS), which included 7348 mother (28.1 ± 6.8 years, range 15–49 years)—child (27.6 ± 16.7 months, range 0–59 months) pairs. Maternal autonomy composite scores captured decision-making power, tolerance of domestic violence, and financial independence. The nutritional outcome measure was stunting (height-for-age z score < – 2). Logistic regression assessed associations between maternal autonomy and stunting, and dominance analysis evaluated the relative importance of the associated factors. From the two surveys combined, 39.2% were stunted. Stunting decreased from 45.0% in 2010 to 34.6% in 2015/16; concurrently, maternal autonomy improved and was evidently associated with stunting (aOR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.71, 0.93; p = 0.002). However, this association was probably mediated by other factors associated with improved child nutrition, including maternal education and family wealth, which, along with child age, were associated with stunting in the dominance analysis. Concurrent interventional programs may also have contributed to the decrease in stunting between the surveys, thus moderating the effect of maternal autonomy.

Precarious work, job stress, and health-related quality of life.

Recent technological and work organization changes have resulted in an increased prevalence of nonstandard work arrangement types. One of the consequences has been an increased prevalence of precarious work. Our objective was to generate a scale to measure work precariousness in the United States and examine the associations between this study precariousness scale with job stress, unhealthy days, and days with activity limitations among US workers from 2002 to 2014, to determine if precarious work adversely affects worker health. Our scale was inspired by the Employment Precariousness Scale that measures work precariousness reported by salaried workers and developed for the US workforce. We used pooled cross-sectional data from 22 representative items from the General Social Survey, Quality of Work Life survey for the years 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. These data included 4534 observations for analysis. We used regression models to examine associations between work precariousness and job stress, unhealthy days, and days with activity limitations. Statistically significant positive association existed between job stress and work precariousness. Workers reporting work precariousness were more likely to experience more days in poor physical and mental health and more days with activity limitations due to health problems. The results of our study provide support for our precariousness scale and its suitability for assessing the health-related quality of life of workers in different work arrangements.

Working Still Harder

The authors use data from the British Skills and Employment Surveys to document and to try to account for sustained work intensification between 2001 and 2017. They estimate the determinants of work intensity, first using four waves of the pooled cross-section data, then using a constructed pseudo-panel of occupation–industry cells. The latter approach suggests biases in cross-section models of work intensity, associated with unobserved fixed effects in specific occupations and industries. The pseudo-panel analysis can account for slightly more than half (51%) of work intensification using variables that measure effort-biased technological change, effort-biased organizational change, the growing requirement for learning new things, and the rise of self-employment. The authors interpret the work intensification and these effects within a power-resources framework.

SEZs and poverty reduction: evidence from Andhra Pradesh, India

PurposeThe present study evaluates the impact of special economic zones (SEZs) on poverty, both rural and urban with special reference to Andhra Pradesh in India, using household consumption expenditure data. In addition to estimating the effects of the SEZs on poverty, the authors explore some of the possible mechanisms generating these effects.Design/methodology/approachThe authors apply a difference-in-differences (DID) technique on a pooled, cross-sectional, district-level dataset based on official annual household surveys for the period from 2001 to 2012 to estimate the average effects of SEZs on household expenditure per capita, a commonly used measure of household poverty.FindingsThe establishment of the SEZs constituted a major exogenous shock to rural economies by creating demand for large chunks of land, which had an immediate impact on the economic and social settings of these economies and aggravated rural poverty. However, over time the poverty aggravating effects of SEZs in rural areas dampened. The effects of SEZs on urban poverty are found to be different from those on rural poverty. It is also revealed that the districts with multiple SEZs experienced larger effects than those with only one or two SEZs. Overall, the SEZs did have positive expenditure effects, but this transition might have been accompanied by heightened inequality between the rural and urban areas.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the authors did not have access to village or municipal-level consumption data. It is therefore assumed here that district level performance is a reliable proxy for the relevant impacts of SEZ operations. Second, panel data, which would allow more precise measurement of effects than the pooled cross section data used in this study, are not available. Third, the authors’ econometric analysis is essentially comparative statics in nature and does not capture possible spillover dynamics, issues of relocation of economic activity, or migration.Practical implicationsFirst, land acquisition is likely to emerge as a major political and social challenge for the localities that host SEZs. For effective policy implementation, it is necessary to establish legal institutions to address this challenge. Second, governments in developing countries often announce new SEZ programmes on a very large scale and insist that they be implemented over short periods of time. The authors recommend that the government should adopt an experimental approach in implementing the policy. Third, the authors provide evidence that in the long run, effects of SEZs hinge on the success of SEZs in attracting investment and generating additional employment. The policy must therefore be informed by rigorous analysis of the potential of SEZs in the country, as well as alternative policy options.Social implicationsThe authors’ results show that large-scale land acquisitions to implement large industrial projects are likely to result in shocks to the rural economy exacerbating rural-urban inequalities: village communities lose their resource base, are marginalised in the process, and, as a result, face economic deprivations. It may lead to severe economic, social and political consequences. The authors’ study implies that any strategy for large-scale industrialisation should take cognisance of its effects on the affected communities and should be designed to include strategies to improve their economic opportunities and to ensure social inclusion.Originality/valueSEZs are one of the most controversial topics within development policy discourse. Their regional development effects are subject to intense debate. Yet, there is surprisingly little systematic evaluation to inform the debate and to guide policymakers. This is one of the earliest studies to assess the poverty effects of SEZs and is the first for India, using household consumption data.

Individual’s gender ideology and happiness in China

Gender ideologies encompass normative beliefs about how men and women should behave in certain contexts. Although many studies have examined factors predicting individuals’ gender ideologies, little research has focused on the implications of gender ideology on individuals’ subjective well-being, especially in Asian contexts. Using the pooled cross-sectional data from the China General Social Survey (CGSS, 2010/12/13/15), we explore the association between individual-level gender ideology and happiness in rural and urban China, paying special attention to potential variations in this association by gender and education level. Results suggest that an egalitarian gender ideology is positively associated with happiness in both rural and urban China. The association is stronger for urban men than for urban women and stronger for higher educated people than for lower educated people. The study highlights the importance of gender equality on individual subjective well-being and extends the literature by contextualizing individual-level gender ideology in China.

Physical Pain, Gender, and the State of the Economy in 146 Nations

Rationale: Physical pain is one of the most severe of human experiences. It is thus one of the most important to understand. Objective: This paper reports the first cross-country study of the links between physical pain and the state of the economy. A key issue examined is how the level of pain in a society is influenced by the unemployment rate. Method: The study uses pooled cross-sectional Gallup data from 146 countries. It estimates fixed-effects regression equations that control for personal characteristics. Results: More than a quarter of the world's citizens are in physical pain. Physical pain is lower in a boom and greater in an economic downturn. Estimated effect-sizes are substantial. Remarkably, increases in pain are borne almost exclusively by women and found principally in rich nations. These findings have paradoxical aspects. The counter-cyclicality of physical pain is not what would be predicted by conventional economic analysis: during an expansion, people typically work harder and longer, and accidents and injuries increase. Nor are the paper's results due to unemployed citizens experiencing more pain (although they do). Instead, the study's findings are consistent with an important hypothesis proposed recently, using different kinds of evidence, by brain and behavioural-science researchers such as Katja Wiech and Irene Tracey (2009) and Eileen Chou and colleagues (2016). The hypothesis is that economic worry can create physical pain. Conclusions: This study provides the first cross-country evidence that the level of physical pain in a nation depends on the state of the economy. Pain is high when the unemployment rate is high. That is not because of greater pain among people who lose their jobs -- it extends far beyond that into wider society. The increase in physical pain in a downturn is experienced disproportionately by women.

Rural-Urban Migration, Urbanisation and Unemployment: The Case of Tanzania Mainland

This paper looks into rural-urban migration, urbanisation and unemployment in Tanzania Mainland based mainly on census surveys of 1988, 2002 and 2012, which are augmented by the other data source. Three stage least squares technique is employed to run pooled cross section data regression to examine factors associated with rapid urbanisation and unemployment, including urban in-migration from the rural areas. Results show that urbanisation and urban traditional sector unemployment are the migration phenomena, and they are both significantly driven by rural-urban per capita income differential and high propensity of in-migration. The results indicate need for accelerated rural development to raise rural incomes and to provide adequate services as a way to reduce urban in-migration.

Factors Driving Stock Prices of Nepalese Insurers

The effect of firm-specific and macroeconomic factors on the price-earnings ratio of Nepalese insurance companies is analyzed in this study using pooled cross-sectional data. The study covers a period of eight years (2007/08 to 2014/15) and uses secondary data from 13 insurance companies with a total of 104 observations. The findings suggest that firm size, money supply, and gross domestic product have a positive correlation with stock prices, while inflation has a negative correlation. Furthermore, size, gross domestic product, and money supply have a positive impact on the price-earnings ratio, whereas dividends per share, book value per share, return on equity, and inflation have a negative impact. The study's results have important implications for insurance companies in Nepal, particularly in making investment decisions and formulating pricing strategies. The research's analytical techniques and strategies can be applied to different facets of the Nepalese stock market.

Opposite educational gradients in sleep duration between Black and White adults, 2004-2018

ObjectivesTo investigate the heterogeneous effects of education on sleep duration for Black and White adults and how the education effects changed between 2004 and 2018. MethodsA total of 251,994 adult participants in the 2004 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey were included in pooled cross-sectional data analyses. Separately for Black and White men and women, we calculated prevalence ratio and average marginal probability of short sleep (<7 hours) for each education level over the study period based on weighted logistic regression models. ResultsOpposite educational gradients in short sleep were observed between Black and White adults. Greater educational attainment was associated with lower likelihood of short sleep among White adults but higher likelihood of short sleep among Black adults. Such heterogeneous educational gradients were robust after accounting for a set of socioeconomic, family, and health factors and persisted between 2004 and 2018. ConclusionsThe health implications of education are not uniform in the US population, and heterogeneous education effects on sleep duration persisted over the past decade. More scholarly attention is needed to identify challenges and barriers that may be unique for race, sex, and education subpopulations to maintain healthy sleep.

The impact of childhood experience of starvations on the health of older adults: Evidence from China.

This paper used pooled cross-sectional data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey to comprehensively investigate how childhood experiences of starvation affect the health of older Chinese adults. The study found that the childhood experience of starvation was negatively correlated with self-rated health, functional health and cognitive health among older adults. After using the model and variable substitution methods to address the endogeneity problems caused by omitted variables, the negative effects of childhood experiences of starvation on the health of older adults were still present. The Karlson-Holm-Breen decomposition method was used to test the mediation effects, and it was found that childhood experiences of starvation had adverse effects on the health of older adults through endowment insurance, household income, education and nutrition. Consequently, the government should strengthen nutrition or other related health interventions for children and make longer-term plans for improving the health of older adults.

Neighborhood social cohesion and sleep health among White, Black, and Hispanic/Latino men and women in United States: Findings from the National Health Interview Survey

Background: Social environmental factors such as unfavorable neighborhood cohesion may contribute to poor sleep by, for example, activating stress pathways. Methods: Using pooled cross-sectional data from 144,776 participants of the 2013-2017 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), we examined overall and race/ethnicity-specific associations between neighborhood social cohesion and sleep health among White, Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian adults. Neighborhood social cohesion score (NSC) was measured based on self-reported responses to four questions related to trust and support, which were categorized into low, medium, and high groups. Very short sleep duration was defined as &lt;6 hours; short sleep &lt;7 hours, recommended sleep 7-8 hours, and long sleep ≥9 hours. Sleep difficulties were assessed based on “trouble falling asleep 3+ days,” “trouble staying asleep 3+ days,” “waking up feeling rested 4+ days,” and “took sleep medication ≥1 times” all in the previous week. Adjusting for sociodemographics, health behaviors, and health indicators, Poisson regression with robust variance was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for sleep duration and difficulty by low vs. high NSC and medium vs. high NSC. Results: Among 144,776 adults, mean age was 47±0.1 years, 48% were men, and 69% white. Overall, low vs. high NSC was associated with a higher prevalence of very short (PR=1.32; 95% CI: 1.25-1.40) and short (PR=1.19; 95% CI: 1.16-1.22) sleep duration. Low vs. high NSC was positively associated with very short sleep duration among Whites (PR=1.37; 95% CI: 1.28-1.47), Blacks (PR=1.13; 95% CI: 1.01-1.28), and Hispanics/Latinos (PR=1.30; 95% CI: 1.11-1.53). Among Asians, low NSC was associated with short sleep duration (PR=1.19; 95% CI: 1.06-1.32). Conclusions: Sleep difficulties were more prevalent among all racial/ethnic groups with less than high NSC. Low neighborhood social cohesion was associated with shorter sleep duration and sleep difficulty across racial/ethnic groups, and more research is warranted.

Association between e-cigarette use and sleep deprivation in U.S. Young adults: Results from the 2017 and 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

BackgroundFew studies have assessed the association between e-cigarette use and sleep deprivation. This is an important question given the rapid increase in e-cigarette use among young adults in recent years. PurposeTo determine whether e-cigarette use is associated with sleep deprivation in a sample of young (18–24 years-old) American adults. MethodsWe used pooled cross-sectional data from the 2017 and 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), selecting respondents aged 18 to 24 from forty-one states and U.S. territories that included the e-cigarette and sleep modules in the interview (N = 19,701). Poisson regression models tested the relationship between e-cigarette use and sleep deprivation. We adjusted for sociodemographic variables, physical activity, mental health, BMI, smokeless tobacco products use, alcohol drinking, and smoking. ResultsIn the pooled dataset, the weighted prevalence of current or former e-cigarette use was 47% and 35% of participants self-reported sleep deprivation. After adjusting for confounders, former e-cigarette users were 1.17 times more likely to report sleep deprivation, compared to never users (95%CI: 1.06, 1.29). The prevalence ratio for self-reported sleep deprivation increased to 1.42 (95%CI: 1.23, 1.65) for everyday users, compared to never e-cigarette users. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that e-cigarette use might be related to sleep deprivation in young adults. Future longitudinal studies should assess the causal and dose–response nature of this relationship.