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1.
Econ Hum Biol ; 52: 101332, 2024 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38113604

ABSTRACT

Using data from Peru and a quasi-experimental approach, we document significant increases in arterial blood pressure and in the incidence of arterial hypertension caused by the restrictive measures employed by the Peruvian authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects are more pronounced for women, older respondents, and urban residents. The effects are statistically significant and high in magnitude relative to the pre-pandemic incidence of disease in the Peruvian population. A main channel of disease propagation seems to be the changes in dietary habits and physical activity imposed by the COVID-19 lockdowns, which affected several anthropometric measurements that are common risk factors for hypertension.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Hypertension , Humans , Female , Peru/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Pandemics , COVID-19/epidemiology , Communicable Disease Control , Hypertension/epidemiology
2.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36360899

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There is a large literature that documents the negative health implications of exposure to air pollution, particularly PM2.5. Much of this literature, however, relies on short-term cross-sectional data, which cannot establish a true causal link between pollution and health. There are also very few studies that document long- and very long-term effects. PURPOSE: This study intends to estimate a causal relationship between exposure to severe air pollution and negative health outcomes that persist over long periods of time. METHODS: We use a large longitudinal dataset that spans almost 2 decades and that allows us to not only document the persistence of negative health effects, but also a pattern of recovery from a severe pollution episode. We use multivariate regression methods to estimate a causal link between air pollution and health over time. A large pollution shock that occurred in 1997 in Indonesia is used as a natural experiment to pinpoint the true causal effects of pollution exposure and not mere correlations. RESULTS: Exposure to an additional unit of pollution in 1997 leads to a loss of roughly six units of lung capacity and to an increase of 4.3% in the probability of being in poor general health, as measured ten years after the pollution exposure. These effects somewhat diminish over time, to a loss of roughly three units of lung capacity and to an increase of only about 3% in the probability of being in poor general health, as measured 17 years after exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Our study finds significant health consequences of exposure to air pollution, which persist over long periods of time, with some patterns of recovery. Policymakers should pay special attention to such massive sources of pollution and try to mitigate these negative health consequences.


Subject(s)
Air Pollutants , Air Pollution , Particulate Matter/adverse effects , Particulate Matter/analysis , Air Pollutants/toxicity , Air Pollutants/analysis , Cross-Sectional Studies , Environmental Exposure/adverse effects , Environmental Exposure/analysis , Air Pollution/adverse effects , Air Pollution/analysis , Outcome Assessment, Health Care
3.
Am J Health Behav ; 45(2): 239-245, 2021 03 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33888185

ABSTRACT

Objectives: In the context of rapidly developing economies, socioeconomic changes bring about increased inequality, lower perceived social status, stress, and depression, all of which contribute to the high incidence of smoking. In this study, we investigate the linkages between social status and smoking behaviors. Methods: Using data from Indonesia, we use regression analysis to study the roles of socioeconomic factors and individual risk and time preferences in determining smoking behaviors. Results: We find that both objective and perceived social status matter, but the role of perceived social status is orders of magnitude larger than that of objective social status measures, such as income or education. Conclusions: Whereas traditional policies focused on income or education can be effective in reducing smoking, our results suggest that much more can be achieved through policies that target inequality and socioeconomic stress.


Subject(s)
Income , Smoking , Social Class , Educational Status , Humans , Indonesia , Smoking/epidemiology , Socioeconomic Factors
4.
J Health Psychol ; 26(4): 595-604, 2021 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30764667

ABSTRACT

We study the role of subjective social status on health and its correlates, with an emphasis on the predictive power of early-life conditions on subjective social status. A well-established literature links early-life conditions to later-life objective measures of socioeconomic status, but little attention has been paid to their effects on subjective socioeconomic status. We find that socioeconomic factors during childhood are important predictors of subjective social status, even after controlling for contemporaneous socioeconomic conditions. This shows an additional psychological and behavioral channel through which early-life conditions influence later outcomes and which has not been yet studied in sufficient detail.


Subject(s)
Social Class , Humans , Socioeconomic Factors
5.
Drug Alcohol Depend ; 194: 1-5, 2019 01 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30388462

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The association between socioeconomic status and unhealthy behaviors is well-documented in the literature. Less is known, however, about the role of subjective social status, but recent evidence shows that perceived standing in the social hierarchy has important roles in health. METHODS: This paper studies the association between perceived social status and the consumption of alcohol and tobacco among the South Korean elderly. Using data from a large longitudinal survey in Korea, we empirically estimate these correlations while controlling for a large set of confounders that include measures of objective social status. RESULTS: Respondents who view themselves as lower in the social hierarchy are more likely to be active smokers but equally likely to be drinkers as respondents who view themselves better off socially. We also find that among smokers and drinkers, the actual amounts of tobacco and alcohol consumed correlate well with perceived social status. In terms of drinking, the higher the subjective social status, the lower the amount of alcohol consumed. In terms of smoking, people at the two extremes of the social hierarchy smoke more than people in the middle. CONCLUSIONS: South Korea is facing unique problems regarding aging, economic and social inequality, and high rates of tobacco and alcohol consumption. Understanding the role of perceived social status on these unhealthy habits is therefore extremely important for designing policies that address these health issues from multiple perspectives.


Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology , Habits , Health Risk Behaviors , Perception , Smoking/epidemiology , Social Class , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alcohol Drinking/psychology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Republic of Korea/epidemiology , Smoking/psychology , Surveys and Questionnaires
6.
PLoS One ; 13(12): e0208466, 2018.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30517184

ABSTRACT

Hypertension is a rapidly growing problem in developing countries. At the same time, due to its asymptomatic nature, the afflicted population is largely unaware of being hypertensive. Due to a lack of resources, routine medical exams are very rare in developing countries and many sick individuals remain undiagnosed. Using a large sample of hypertensive individuals from Indonesia, we show the importance of being diagnosed. Diagnosed individuals exhibit lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and overall lower probability of remaining hypertensive than undiagnosed individuals. We also show the main channels through which this is achieved: taking medication, routinely monitoring one's blood pressure, and engaging in moderate physical activities. We also point to channels through which additional benefits could be realized, but that are currently ineffective: dietary changes and maintaining a healthy body weight. Combined, these results point to the importance of directing public policy towards addressing the under-diagnosis problem and educating the public of the benefits of adopting a healthy life-style.


Subject(s)
Antihypertensive Agents/therapeutic use , Hypertension/diagnosis , Hypertension/drug therapy , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Blood Pressure Determination , Developing Countries , Early Diagnosis , Female , Humans , Hypertension/epidemiology , Indonesia/epidemiology , Life Style , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Young Adult
7.
Econ Hum Biol ; 26: 186-198, 2017 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28460366

ABSTRACT

While many studies in the medical literature documented causal relationships between air pollution and negative health outcomes immediately following exposure, much less is known about the long run health consequences of pollution exposure. Using the 1997 Indonesian forest fires as a natural experiment, we estimate the long term effects of air pollution on health outcomes. We take advantage of the longitudinal nature of the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS), which collects detailed individual data on a multitude of health outcomes, in both 1997 and 2007. We find significant negative effects of pollution, which persist in the long run. Men and the elderly are impacted the most, while children seem to recover almost completely from these early shocks. For the entire population, an extra standard deviation in the pollution level increases the likelihood of a poor general health status by almost 3%.


Subject(s)
Air Pollution/adverse effects , Health Status , Wildfires , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Child , Female , Health Surveys , Humans , Indonesia , Male , Middle Aged , Regression Analysis , Young Adult
8.
Soc Sci Med ; 150: 15-22, 2016 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26722984

ABSTRACT

Asymptomatic conditions such as hypertension are generally hard to diagnose, absent routine medical examinations. This is especially problematic in developing countries, where most citizens do not engage in routine examinations due to limited economic resources. We study the roles of education and individual time preferences in asymptomatic disease detection and management. Using discrete choice models on a sample of 4209 hypertensive Indonesian adults surveyed between November 2007 and April 2008, we find that both education and individual time preferences play important roles. However, the effects are different for people in good health than they are for people in bad health. Education does not seem to matter for disease detection when respondents are in good general health, and its effects on disease management vary largely in magnitudes between these groups. In terms of disease detection, more educated respondents have a higher probability of being diagnosed, but only conditional on being in poor general health. Time preferences, on the other hand, matter for respondents in good general health, but the effect is not significant for those in bad health. More impatient respondents that are in good health have a higher probability of being under-diagnosed because they are more likely to forgo routine physicals. The findings point to two distinct channels through which education can affect health, and suggest that different types of policies need to be implemented, in order to reach the entire population. Traditional programs that stimulate education and improve the socio-economic status of individuals in developing countries are helpful, but they do not address the whole problem. Besides its more usual positive effects, education can also negatively affect the health of asymptomatic patients, because it reflects a higher opportunity cost of engaging in preventative health screenings.


Subject(s)
Asymptomatic Diseases/psychology , Education , Hypertension/diagnosis , Hypertension/psychology , Time Factors , Aged , Asymptomatic Diseases/economics , Developing Countries/economics , Developing Countries/statistics & numerical data , Female , Humans , Hypertension/complications , Indonesia , Male , Middle Aged , Socioeconomic Factors
9.
Econ Hum Biol ; 19: 1-12, 2015 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26185895

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the persistence of bad health among the elderly, and attempts to identify its determinants. We are particularly interested in the role of recent past bad health. Using a panel data set from Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS), several health measures such as poor general health status (poor GHS), hypertension, and low body mass index (low BMI) are examined. We find that for all health measures, recent past bad health has a small impact on current bad health once conditioning on individual fixed effects. For instance, in the case of poor GHS, the elderly with poor GHS in the recent past are only 4% points more likely to have poor GHS in the subsequent period compared to their counterparts.


Subject(s)
Developing Countries/statistics & numerical data , Health Status , Age Distribution , Aged , Body Mass Index , Female , Health Surveys , Humans , Hypertension/epidemiology , Indonesia/epidemiology , Male , Middle Aged , Sex Distribution , Socioeconomic Factors
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