The Evolution of Mental Health in the Context of Transitory Economic Changes

Tobacco Consumption and Mental Health in the Canary Islands: A Quantitative Analysis

Although the detrimental health effects of tobacco, there has been scant research into determining comprehensive profiles to characterize individuals with a higher risk of smoking. This paper identifies such profiles and probabilistically quantifies the effects of certain traits on the decision to smoke in the Canary Islands. This characterization is approached from a broad and novel point of view for the region studied, given that the analysis not only studies sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle and health, but also incorporates mental health. The results show that suffering from some type of psychopathology leads to a higher probability of tobacco consumption. Moreover, just as the promotion of a healthy lifestyle has a direct impact on tobacco consumption, the implementation of public policies that reduce the risks of suffering from a mental illness could also reduce the prevalence of smoking in the region and contribute to the design of more effective prevention strategies.

Assisted reproduction in Spain, outcome and socioeconomic determinants of access

RESEARCH QUESTION

We analyzed two questions. First, the effectiveness of public Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) in Spain compared with private ones, measured by the time since initiating ART treatment until achieving pregnancy, accounting for age and socioeconomic factors. Second, socioeconomic determinants of access to ART, referring primarily to financial means derived by employment, income, and wealth.

DESIGN

We applied statistical models on data extracted from the national Spanish Fertility Survey from 2018. The first topic was analyzed by competing risk survival analysis conducted on a sample of 667 women who initiate ART treatment since 2000. The second, by a Bivariate Probit model conducted on a sample of 672 women older than 41 years who required ART services.

RESULTS

The first analysis raised that throughout the treatment, patients treated exclusively in private clinics had on average a higher cumulative incidence of becoming pregnant compared with patients who approached public clinics. The second analysis raised that both higher household equivalent income and higher education increase the likelihood of accessing ART in a private clinic and decrease the tendency of accessing public clinics or failing to access any service. Moreover, being single decreases the likelihood of accessing public clinics or ART services in general.

CONCLUSIONS

Long waiting periods could be the main reason for the lower incidence of getting pregnant in public healthcare, explaining why patients choose private over public care. We develop a broader discussion over the extent of Spanish public funding of ART, the unequal medical outcome, and potential options for optimization.