Impact of Environmental Pollution on Health-Evidence from Cities in China

The impact of digital literacy on personal health: Evidence from the China family panel study

BACKGROUND

In the digital era, digital literacy is a fundamental indicator of a nation's quality and plays a crucial role in public health. Exploring the theoretical mechanisms and effects of digital literacy on individuals' health is of great practical importance, advancing the initiatives of 'Digital China' and 'Healthy China'.

METHODS

The study utilised three-period survey panel data from the China Family Panel Study spanning 2016, 2018, and 2020 to measure and evaluate levels of digital literacy, physical health, mental health, healthy lifestyle, and integrated health among the participants. Subsequently, a series of empirical analyses were conducted to examine the general impact, heterogeneous effects and transmission pathways of digital literacy on various types of health levels.

RESULTS

Digital literacy significantly enhances all aspects of respondents' health, and this conclusion remains valid even after conducting robustness tests and addressing endogeneity through variable substitution and selecting instrumental variables using the 2SLS method. Furthermore, examining heterogeneity by considering individual traits and the makeup of digital literacy reveals that the impact of digital literacy on individuals' health varies according to age, cultural background, personal income, and the components of digital literacy. Pathway analyses also demonstrate that medical accessibility, information access, social network, and planned behaviour are key routes through which digital literacy enhances the health of the population.

CONCLUSIONS

It is imperative for the government to actively promote the advancement of the digital healthcare industry, while individuals should strive to enhance their digital literacy. By collectively focussing on these efforts, national health can be significantly improved.

The impact of digital economy development on public health: evidence from Chinese cities

Introduction

The swift advancement of the digital economy not only plays a crucial role in stimulating a country's economic growth but also exerts a significant influence on national health and well-being.

Methods

Adopts the data of 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2010 to 2022, and employs the panel data fixed-effects model, spatial Durbin model, and mediated effects model to study the impact of digital economic development on the level of urban public health.

Results

It is found that digital economic development significantly improves the level of urban public health, and the effect has a spatial spillover effect. The impact of digital economic development on urban public health is mainly concentrated in cities with higher levels of economic development, higher levels of digital economic development, and lower levels of urban public health. Among them, technological innovation and information dissemination are the main dissemination channels through which digital economic development affects the level of urban public health.

Discussion

The advancement of the digital economy significantly impacts urban public health. It is advisable to bolster policies guiding digital economy development, enhance cross-sector collaboration between the digital economy and public health, reinforce public health education and awareness campaigns, improve the digital health literacy of the population, continue to enhance the fairness and accessibility of basic medical services, and address and bridge the "digital divide" between regions, as well as urban and rural areas.

The hidden threat: Environmental toxins and their effects on gut microbiota

The human gut microbiota (GM), which consists of a complex and diverse ecosystem of bacteria, plays a vital role in overall wellness. However, the delicate balance of this intricate system is being compromised by the widespread presence of environmental toxins. The intricate connection between contaminants in the environment and human well-being has garnered significant attention in recent times. Although many environmental pollutants and their toxicity have been identified and studied in laboratory settings and animal models, there is insufficient data concerning their relevance to human physiology. Consequently, research on the toxicity of environmental toxins in GM has gained prominence in recent years. Various factors, such as air pollution, chemicals, heavy metals, and pesticides, have a detrimental impact on the composition and functioning of the GM. This comprehensive review aims to comprehend the toxic effects of numerous environmental pollutants, including antibiotics, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, heavy metals, and pesticides, on GM by examining recent research findings. The current analysis concludes that different types of environmental toxins can lead to GM dysbiosis and have various potential adverse effects on the well-being of animals. We investigate the alterations to the GM composition induced by contaminants and their impact on overall well-being, providing a fresh perspective on research related to pollutant exposure.

Does digital economy development affect urban environment quality: Evidence from 285 cities in China

The impact of the digital economy (DE) on urban environmental quality (EQ) is a critical aspect of China's economic development. This study investigates the impact of DI on urban EQ using the data from prefecture-level cities spanning the period from 2011 to 2021 and updates some disparate conclusions of related studies. It is discovered that a non-linear correlation exists between DE and urban EQ. Currently, DE can effectively improve local city EQ. This conclusion remains valid even after robustness tests and endogeneity treatment. The impact of DE on improving EQ can be classified as the impact of technological innovation, industrial upgrading, resource allocation, infrastructure construction, environmental governance, and changes in public lifestyle. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the influence of DE is particularly pronounced in cities located in central and eastern regions of China, those with higher levels of administrative management, resource-based urban areas, and those with more stringent environmental regulations.

Mental health impacts of environmental exposures: A scoping review of evaluative instruments

To date, much of the health focus of environmental policy has been on preventing physical health impacts of environmental exposures. Recent research has however highlighted increasingly concurrent mental health effects and its consideration is an emerging requirement for many governments and their agencies, yet there are limited universal mental health assessment tools for environmental exposures. This paper details the findings of a scoping review that evaluated assessment tools used to measure psychological impacts from environmental exposures and pollution, as reported in recent peer-reviewed literature (2000-2022). Across the 126 papers identified in our review, a wide range of tools to assess mental health impact were identified. We document a clear recent upswing of research interest in the mental and psychological impacts of environmental exposures, and an overarching concern for air pollution from industry, traffic, and fires. A majority of studies utilised standardised assessment instruments, but there was little consistency in the way that these were combined or deployed. The dominant mental health outcomes of interest in these studies were depression, anxiety, and mental and psychiatric health. The findings of the review identify a need and opportunity to develop a best-practice approach to consistently assess the mental health impacts arising from environmental exposures. Future work is needed to define the most appropriate choice and application of assessment tools to evaluate adverse mental health impacts from environmental exposures. This will support a more universal, coordinated and cross-jurisdiction approach for the assessment, quantification and targeted response to addressing mental health impacts arising from environmental exposures.

Impact of Two-Way FDI on China's Environmental Quality: The Perspective of Environmentally Cleaner Production and End Treatment

While the rapid development of two-way foreign direct investment (FDI) has boosted China's economic growth, its impact on environmental quality is uncertain. Based on provincial panel data from China covering the period from 2002 to 2020, this paper proposes an environmental quality assessment index system for China from two aspects: environmentally cleaner production and environmental end treatment. The comprehensive environmental quality index (EQI), environmentally cleaner production index (EPI), and environmental end treatment index (ETI) were all measured, with the geographic information system tool and Dagum Gini coefficient used to analyse the indicators' differences using a system-generalised method-of-moments (SYS-GMM) estimation to study the impact of two-way FDI on environmental quality in various regions across China. The results demonstrate that during the sample period, inward FDI positively impacted environmental quality and cleaner production but had a negative impact on environmental end treatment. Outward FDI significantly promoted EQI, EPI, and ETI, and the interaction between inward FDI and outward FDI positively impacted environmental quality and environmentally cleaner production, while it negatively impacted environmental end treatment. This indicates that under two-way FDI, China's relationship with environmental quality has gradually evolved from 'pollution first and then treatment' to 'green development of cleaner production'.

Effects of cadmium stress on fruits germination and growth of two herbage species

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is a global environmental problem. It is of great significance to find a kind of pasture that can grow normally in a cadmium environment, especially in the Tibetan Plateau. We studied the fruit germination and fruit growth of Elymus sinsubmuticus S.L. Chen and Elymus tangutorum (Nevski), native plants of the Tibetan Plateau, in different cadmium environments. The results showed that with increased cadmium stress, the fruit germination rate, final germination rate, fruit-vigor, average germination time, and germination-speed index for the two grass species gradually decreased, and the 50% germination time for the seed gradually increased. Root length, biomass, and the number of leaves decreased in both species. We quantified the fruit germination and growth of plants in the cadmium environment and found that E. sinosubmuticus S.L. Chen had better fruit germination and fruit growth, and it had the development potential of cadmium pollution control.

Health and Human Wellbeing in China: Do Environmental Issues and Social Change Matter?

How to mitigate greenhouse gas emission and achieve human development remain major sustainability issues, particularly in China. Empirical research on the effects of climate warming and social change on human health and wellbeing is quite fragmented. This study examines the impact of environmental issues and social changes on health and human wellbeing using a time series data of China from 1991 to 2020. Findings show that environmental issues have a negative impact on health and human wellbeing in long run. While the internet is a form of social change that tends to improve health and human wellbeing in the long run. FDI exerts a positive effect on human health, but it does not improve wellbeing in the long run. In contrast, financial development does not improve human health but it has a significant positive impact on wellbeing in the long run. Our empirical insights have important implications for achieving human wellbeing through the pursuit of environmental sustainability and social change.

Spatio-temporal evolution of ecological environment quality in China from a concept of strong sustainability

Based on the concept of strong sustainability, this paper builds a dynamic evaluation system on ecological environment quality from the concepts of ecological environment pollution and ecological environment management and puts forward the evaluation indexes including ecological environment pollution index (EPI), ecological environment management index (EMI), and ecological environment quality index (EQI). On this basis, kernel density estimation, Markov chain, Theil index, and dynamic SDM are used to reveal and explain the spatio-temporal evolution of ecological environment quality in China. The results were as follows. Overall, the EPI is decreasing while EMI and EQI are on the rise. In the long run, there is low possibility of upward and cross-level transition for EPI and EQI. The differences of EPI, EMI, and EQI are mainly caused by the regional differences. The regional differences have been reflected in the value of EPI, EMI, and EQI. It has been shown that the internal regional differences are continuously narrowing and the inter-regional differences are expanding. The convergence speeds of EPI, EMI, and EQI are 13.77%, 23.80%, and 9.69%, respectively. In the regional convergence test, different regions have shown different convergence speeds.

Impact of China’s Provincial Government Debt on Economic Growth and Sustainable Development

Macroeconomic stability is the core concept of sustainable development. However, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused government debt problems worldwide. In this context, it is of practical significance to study the impact of government debt on economic growth and fluctuations. Based on panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2012 to 2019, we used the Mann–Kendall method and Kernel Density estimation to analyze the temporal and spatial evolution of China’s provincial government debt ratio and adopted a panel model and HP filtering method to study the impact of provincial government debt on economic growth and fluctuation. Our findings indicate that, during the sample period, China’s provincial government debt promoted economic growth and the regression coefficient (0.024) was significant. From different regional perspectives, the promotion effect of the central region (0.027) is higher than that of the eastern (0.020) and western regions (0.023). There is a nonlinear relationship between China’s provincial government debt and economic growth, showing an inverted “U-shaped” curve. Fluctuations in government debt aggravate economic volatility, with a coefficient of 0.009; tax burden fluctuation and population growth rate aggravate economic changes. In contrast, the optimization of the province’s industrial structure and the improvement of the opening level of provinces slow down economic fluctuations.

Is Urbanization Good for the Health of Middle-Aged and Elderly People in China?—Based on CHARLS Data

The purpose of this paper is to test whether improved healthcare services can mitigate health hazards resulting from environmental pollution in the urbanization process. Specifically, using China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) data and official statistics, this paper constructs comprehensive urbanization indicators and healthcare service indicators by applying the fully arrayed polygonal graphical indication method. Then, we introduce healthcare service indicators, urbanization indicators, environmental pollution indicators, and the interaction term between environmental pollution and healthcare into an ordered-logistics regression model. Our results indicate that improvement in health conditions can decrease the health risks from multiplied emissions of industrial sulfur dioxide, industrial soot and dust, and industrial effluents, but it cannot counteract the adverse health effects of PM2.5. Furthermore, heterogeneity tests show that, when considering the multidimensionality of urbanization, the positive influence of healthcare is the greatest in residential surroundings urbanization and economic urbanization, which reduces the prevalence of chronic diseases by 18.4% and 14.9%, respectively. Among the diverse city types, mixed-economy cities have the most obvious positive effects, where healthcare has the greatest mitigating effect on the health damage caused by industrial sulfur dioxide and industrial soot and dust, decreasing the prevalence of chronic diseases among the middle-aged and elderly by 27.3% and 16.4%, respectively. When considering the regional impacts of urbanization, there is a large difference in the positive effects brought about by medical care, which is reflected mainly in eastern and western China. In eastern China, although healthcare does not offset the health damage of PM2.5, the increase in chronic diseases among the middle-aged and elderly is only 0.5%, while in western China, the increase rises to 22.4%.