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García-Mayor J, Moreno-Llamas A, De La Cruz Sánchez E. A decade beyond the economic recession: A study of health-related lifestyles in urban and rural Spain (2006-2017). Nurs Health Sci 2023; 25:700-711. [PMID: 37937892 DOI: 10.1111/nhs.13063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
The 2008 economic recession may have affected health-related indicators differently depending on the living environment. We analyze health-related indicators in Spain using data from four Spanish health surveys (2006, 2011, 2014, and 2017, 95 924 individuals aged ≥16 years). In 2006-2011, physical activity decreased among men and women, while in 2006-2017, physical activity only decreased among urban women. Daily vegetable intake, except in rural women, increased in 2006-2011 but decreased in 2006-2017 in all groups. Smoking decreased among urban women in 2006-2011 and 2006-2014 but only decreased among men, and even increased among rural women, in 2006-2017. In 2006-2017, obesity increased among men and urban women, good self-rated health status increased in all groups and flu vaccination declined. Blood pressure and cholesterol control decreased in urban women in 2006-2011 but increased in 2006-2017 in all groups, as well as mammographic and cytological control. Our findings highlight the differential impact of the economic recession on health-related lifestyles according to sex and place of residence, underscoring the need for targeted health policies to address evolving health disparities over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús García-Mayor
- Public Health and Epidemiology Research Group, San Javier Campus, University of Murcia, San Javier, Spain
| | - Antonio Moreno-Llamas
- Public Health and Epidemiology Research Group, San Javier Campus, University of Murcia, San Javier, Spain
| | - Ernesto De La Cruz Sánchez
- Public Health and Epidemiology Research Group, San Javier Campus, University of Murcia, San Javier, Spain
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Doetsch JN, Almendra R, Severo M, Leão T, Pilot E, Krafft T, Barros H. 2008 economic crisis impact on perinatal and infant mortality in Southern European countries. J Epidemiol Community Health 2023; 77:305-314. [PMID: 36813545 DOI: 10.1136/jech-2022-219639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The study of crisis events provides important lessons to prepare for upcoming events. The Great Recession's impact on perinatal health in Europe can provide relevant insights into the healthcare and social protection systems' response to the protection of the health of the most vulnerable groups. OBJECTIVE To assess time trends and international disparities in perinatal mortality rates (PMR) and infant mortality rates (IMR), following the Great Recession, and their association with socioeconomic indicators in Portugal, Greece, Italy and Spain. METHODS Associations were assessed through generalised linear models for all four countries. A Poisson joinpoint regression model was applied to explore PMR and IMR trend changes between 2000 and 2018. Country disparities were analysed using mixed-effects multilevel models. RESULTS IMR and PMR have decreased overall in the four selected countries between 2000 and 2018. Still, whereas in Spain, Italy and Portugal the decreasing pace was attenuated after 2009, in Greece a positive trend was found after the 2008 crisis. IMR and PMR were significantly associated with socioeconomic indicators in all four countries. National disparities in the evolution of IMR and PMR were significantly associated with most socioeconomic indicators between 2000 and 2018. CONCLUSION Our results confirm the impact of the Great Recession on PMR and IMR trends in all four countries, taking recurring associations between macroeconomic cycles, variations in mortality trends, macroeconomic volatility and stagnation of IMR and PMR into account. The association with socioeconomic indicators stresses the need to strengthen social protection and healthcare systems to better protect the population's health from the earliest days.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Nadine Doetsch
- Unidade de Investigação em Epidemiologia (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (ISPUP), Porto, Portugal .,Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML), Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.,Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Almendra
- CEGOT-Centre of Studies on Geography and Spatial Planning, Department of Geography and Tourism, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Milton Severo
- Unidade de Investigação em Epidemiologia (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (ISPUP), Porto, Portugal.,Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Teresa Leão
- Unidade de Investigação em Epidemiologia (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (ISPUP), Porto, Portugal.,Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Predictive Medicine and Public Health Departamento de Ciências da Saúde Pública e Forenses e Educação Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal
| | - Eva Pilot
- Department of Health, Ethics and Society, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML), Maastricht University (UM), Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Thomas Krafft
- Department of Health, Ethics and Society, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML), Maastricht University (UM), Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Henrique Barros
- Unidade de Investigação em Epidemiologia (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (ISPUP), Porto, Portugal.,Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Predictive Medicine and Public Health Departamento de Ciências da Saúde Pública e Forenses e Educação Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal
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Sifaki-Pistolla D, Chatzea VE, Mechili EA, Koinis F, Georgoulias V, Lionis C, Tzanakis N. Spatio-Temporal Variation of Lung Cancer in Crete, 1992-2013. Economic or Health Crisis? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:12161. [PMID: 36231462 PMCID: PMC9565984 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
(1) Background: This is the first population-based study in Greece, with the aim to measure the changing trends of lung cancer (LC) and the associated risk factors before and after the economic crisis. Among the main objectives were the identification of LC hot spots and high-risk areas; (2) Methods: The study was conducted in Crete, the biggest island in Greece. Data (5057 LC cases) were collected from the Cancer Registry of Crete (CRC). The age-standardized incidence and mortality rates (ASIR, ASMR/100,000/year) were estimated, while additional indexes were used, including the adjusted Charlson's comorbidity index (CCI%), the deprivation index (HPI-2), and the exposure to outdoor air pollution (OAP). The analysis was performed for two time periods (Period A: 1992-2008; Period B: 2009-2013); (3) Results: ASIR presented a significant increase during the economic crisis, while an even higher increase was observed in ASMR (Period A: ASMR = 30.5/100,000/year; Period B: ASMR = 43.8/100,000/year; p < 0.001). After 2009, a significant increase in the observed LC hot spots was identified in several sub-regions in Crete (p = 0.04). The risk of LC mortality increased even more for smokers (RR = 5.7; 95%CI = 5.2-6.3) and those living in highly deprived geographical regions (RR = 5.4; 95%CI = 5.1-5.8) during the austerity period. The multiple effect of LC predictors resulted in adjusted RRs ranging from 0.7 to 5.7 within the island (p < 0.05); (4) Conclusions: The increased LC burden after the onset of the economic crisis, along with a changing pattern of LC predictors stressed the urgent need of geographically oriented interventions and cancer control programs focusing on the most deprived or vulnerable population groups.
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Fountoulakis KN, Fountoulakis NK, Theodorakis PN, Souliotis K. Overall mortality trends in Greece during the first period of austerity and the economic crisis (2009-2015). Hippokratia 2022; 26:98-104. [PMID: 37324039 PMCID: PMC10266329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The economic crisis and the resulting austerity in Greece led to a drastic reduction in healthcare spending, which has been assumed to have impacted people's health. This paper discusses official standardized mortality rates in Greece between 2000 and 2015. METHODS This study was designed to analyze population-level data and collected data from the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Eurostat, and the Hellenic Statistics Authority. Separate linear regression models were developed for the periods before and after the crisis and were compared. RESULTS Standardized mortality rates do not support a previously reported assumption of a specific and direct negative effect of austerity on global mortality. Standardized rates continued to decrease linearly, and their correlation to economic variables changed after 2009. Total infant mortality rates show an overall rising trend since 2009, but the interpretation is unclear because of the reduction in the absolute number of deliveries. CONCLUSIONS The mortality data from the first six years of the financial crisis in Greece and the decade that preceded do not support the assumption that budget cuts in health are related to the dramatic worsening of the overall health of the Greek people. Still, data suggest an increase in specific causes of death and the burden on a dysfunctional and unprepared health system that is working in an overstretched manner trying to meet needs. The dramatic acceleration of the aging of the population constitutes a specific challenge for the health system. HIPPOKRATIA 2022, 26 (3):98-104.
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Affiliation(s)
- K N Fountoulakis
- 3rd Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | | | | - K Souliotis
- Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Peloponnese, Greece
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Leveau CM, Tapia Granados JA, Dos Santos MI, Castillo-Riquelme M, Alazraqui M. Are Wealthier Times Healthier in Cities? Economic Fluctuations and Mortality in Urban Areas of Latin America. Int J Public Health 2021; 66:1604318. [PMID: 34955702 PMCID: PMC8696345 DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2021.1604318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: To analyze the relationship between economic conditions and mortality in cities of Latin America. Methods: We analyzed data from 340 urban areas in ten countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and El Salvador. We used panel models adjusted for space-invariant and time-invariant factors to examine whether changes in area gross domestic product (GDP) per capita were associated with changes in mortality. Results: We find procyclical oscillations in mortality (i.e., higher mortality with higher GDP per capita) for total mortality, female population, populations of 0-9 and 45+ years, mortality due to cardiovascular diseases, malignant neoplasms, diabetes mellitus, respiratory infections and road traffic injuries. Homicides appear countercyclical, with higher levels at lower GDP per capita. Conclusions: Our results reveal large heterogeneity, but in our sample of cities, for specific population groups and causes of death, mortality oscillates procyclically, increasing when GDP per capita increases. In contrast we find few instances of countercyclical mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Marcelo Leveau
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Producción, Economía y Trabajo (IPET), Universidad Nacional de Lanús, Remedios de Escalada, Argentina
| | | | - Maria Izabel Dos Santos
- Centro de Integração de Dados e Conhecimentos para a Saúde (CIDACS), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador de Bahía, Brazil
| | | | - Marcio Alazraqui
- Instituto de Salud Colectiva, Universidad Nacional de Lanús, Remedios de Escalada, Argentina
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Matthay EC, Hagan E, Joshi S, Tan ML, Vlahov D, Adler N, Glymour MM. The Revolution Will Be Hard to Evaluate: How Co-Occurring Policy Changes Affect Research on the Health Effects of Social Policies. Epidemiol Rev 2021; 43:19-32. [PMID: 34622277 PMCID: PMC8763115 DOI: 10.1093/epirev/mxab009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Extensive empirical health research leverages variation in the timing and location of policy changes as quasi-experiments. Multiple social policies may be adopted simultaneously in the same locations, creating co-occurrence that must be addressed analytically for valid inferences. The pervasiveness and consequences of co-occurring policies have received limited attention. We analyzed a systematic sample of 13 social policy databases covering diverse domains including poverty, paid family leave, and tobacco use. We quantified policy co-occurrence in each database as the fraction of variation in each policy measure across different jurisdictions and times that could be explained by covariation with other policies. We used simulations to estimate the ratio of the variance of effect estimates under the observed policy co-occurrence to variance if policies were independent. Policy co-occurrence ranged from very high for state-level cannabis policies to low for country-level sexual minority-rights policies. For 65% of policies, greater than 90% of the place-time variation was explained by other policies. Policy co-occurrence increased the variance of effect estimates by a median of 57-fold. Co-occurring policies are common and pose a major methodological challenge to rigorously evaluating health effects of individual social policies. When uncontrolled, co-occurring policies confound one another, and when controlled, resulting positivity violations may substantially inflate the variance of estimated effects. Tools to enhance validity and precision for evaluating co-occurring policies are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellicott C Matthay
- Correspondence to Dr. Ellicott C. Matthay, Center for Health and Community, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, 550 16th Street, 2nd Floor, Campus Box 0560, San Francisco, CA 94143 (e-mail: )
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Pulido J, Hoyos J, Martínez-Ruiz V, Sordo L, Fernández-Navarro P, Barrio G, Regidor E. Long-term impact of the 2008 economic crisis in Spain on road traffic collisions mortality by socioeconomic position. Health Place 2021; 71:102666. [PMID: 34507036 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
We aimed to assess the effect of the 2008 crisis on road traffic collision (RTC) mortality in Spain, by socioeconomic position (SEP) and type of road use. This prospective, country-wide study covered all adults living in Spain and aged ≥30 years in November 2001. The long-term effect of the crisis was assessed by measuring the monthly percentage change (MPC) in RTC mortality between the pre-crisis (2002-2007) and crisis period (2008-2011). During the recession, RTC mortality fell more in people with low compared to high SEP, so MPCs difference between periods were of a higher magnitude in the low compared to high SEP groups, especially among men motorcyclists. RTC mortality trends were favorable following the 2008 crisis, particularly among low-SEP groups. In men motorcyclists, the upward trend of the pre-crisis period reversed course.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Pulido
- Department of Public Health and Maternal and Child Health, Complutense University of Madrid. Plaza Ramón y Cajal, S/n., 28040, Madrid, Spain; CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP). Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - J Hoyos
- CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP). Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. 28029, Madrid, Spain.
| | - V Martínez-Ruiz
- CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP). Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. 28029, Madrid, Spain; Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Granada, Avda. de La Investigación 11. 18016, Granada, Spain
| | - L Sordo
- Department of Public Health and Maternal and Child Health, Complutense University of Madrid. Plaza Ramón y Cajal, S/n., 28040, Madrid, Spain; CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP). Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - P Fernández-Navarro
- CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP). Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. 28029, Madrid, Spain; Cancer and Environmental Epidemiology Unit, Department of Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases, National Center for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health, Calle Sinesio Delgado, 4. 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - G Barrio
- CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP). Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. 28029, Madrid, Spain; National School of Public Health. Carlos III Institute of Health, Calle Sinesio Delgado, 4. 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - E Regidor
- Department of Public Health and Maternal and Child Health, Complutense University of Madrid. Plaza Ramón y Cajal, S/n., 28040, Madrid, Spain; CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP). Monforte de Lemos, 3-5. 28029, Madrid, Spain; Health Research Institute of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Calle Del Profesor Martín Lagos. 28040, Madrid, Spain
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Matthay EC, Gottlieb LM, Rehkopf D, Tan ML, Vlahov D, Glymour MM. What to Do When Everything Happens at Once: Analytic Approaches to Estimate the Health Effects of Co-Occurring Social Policies. Epidemiol Rev 2021; 43:33-47. [PMID: 34215873 PMCID: PMC8763089 DOI: 10.1093/epirev/mxab005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Social policies have great potential to improve population health and reduce health disparities. Increasingly, those doing empirical research have sought to quantify the health effects of social policies by exploiting variation in the timing of policy changes across places. Multiple social policies are often adopted simultaneously or in close succession in the same locations, creating co-occurrence that must be handled analytically for valid inferences. Although this is a substantial methodological challenge for researchers aiming to isolate social policy effects, only in a limited number of studies have researchers systematically considered analytic solutions within a causal framework or assessed whether these solutions are being adopted. We designated 7 analytic solutions to policy co-occurrence, including efforts to disentangle individual policy effects and efforts to estimate the combined effects of co-occurring policies. We used an existing systematic review of social policies and health to evaluate how often policy co-occurrence is identified as a threat to validity and how often each analytic solution is applied in practice. Of the 55 studies, only in 17 (31%) did authors report checking for any co-occurring policies, although in 36 studies (67%), at least 1 approach was used that helps address policy co-occurrence. The most common approaches were adjusting for measures of co-occurring policies; defining the outcome on subpopulations likely to be affected by the policy of interest (but not other co-occurring policies); and selecting a less-correlated measure of policy exposure. As health research increasingly focuses on policy changes, we must systematically assess policy co-occurrence and apply analytic solutions to strengthen studies on the health effects of social policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellicott C Matthay
- Correspondence to Dr. Ellicott C. Matthay, Center for Health and Community, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 550 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94143 (e-mail: )
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García-Mayor J, Moreno-Llamas A, De la Cruz-Sánchez E. Inequalities in the long-term impact of the economic recession on preventive healthcare use and health-related lifestyle in Spain (2006-2017). HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY 2021; 29:42-55. [PMID: 32557930 DOI: 10.1111/hsc.13067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Study of the long-term impact of economic recession on lifestyle according to socioeconomic groups is scarce. This study examines health-related lifestyle and preventive medical attendance in different socioeconomic groups in the Spanish adult population (18-64 years of age) before, during and after an economic recession. Data were collected from three waves of the Spanish National Health Survey (2006, 2012 and 2017). Self-perceived health, health-related lifestyle and common preventive medical attendance were evaluated by means of multivariate logistic models. The increase in good self-perceived health in 2006-2012 was 7.1%, 6.9% and 8.3% for the high, middle and low group, respectively, and 5.2%, 5.9% and 7.9% for the high, middle and low group, respectively, in 2006-2017. In 2006-2012 and 2006-2017, the gap increased between people of the high and low groups in smoking prevalence (2.8%-4.7%), physical activity (2.0%-4.0%), daily fruit (1.0%-6.3%) and vegetable intake (2.5%-6.1%). The probability of women´s gynaecological attendance increased statistically significant for cytology in three groups in 2006-2012 and 2006-2017 (OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.08-1.67; OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.18-1.7; OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.21-1.47 for the high, middle and low groups, respectively, in 2006-2012 and OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.08-1.67; OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.35-1.95; OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.37-1.66 for the high, middle and low groups, respectively, in 2006-2017), but not for mammography. This study reveals long-term socioeconomic inequalities in lifestyle behaviours after the economic recession. Health policies must be emphasised in these population subgroups and in more disadvantaged populations.
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Mateo-Urdiales A, Barrio Anta G, José Belza M, Guerras JM, Regidor E. Changes in drug and alcohol-related mortality by educational status during the 2008-2011 economic crisis: Results from a Spanish longitudinal study. Addict Behav 2020; 104:106255. [PMID: 31968299 DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The objective was to assess changes in drug- and alcohol-related mortality by educational attainment during the last financial crisis in Spain. METHODS Data came from the 2001 Census Longitudinal Study. We included 22.2 million residents in Spain aged ≥35 at census date followed-up until December 2011. Outcomes were drug-related mortality (DRM) and deaths directly attributable to alcohol (DDA). Mortality risks before and during the crisis were assessed using age-standardized rates and educational inequalities by estimating age-adjusted Rate Ratios (RR) and Relative Indexes of inequality (RII) between educational groups. RESULTS During the first four year of the crisis, DRM and DDA in men and women increased in all educational subgroups except for DRM in men with tertiary studies (-15%). The increase in mortality was larger in those with higher educational status, with women with tertiary studies experiencing the largest increases in DRM (+100%) and DDA (+114%). Mortality risks for both outcomes followed an educational gradient before and during the crisis in men and women, with those with primary studies being at higher risk. Absolute and relative measures of inequality decreased during the crisis, except for DRM in men. CONCLUSIONS DRM and DDA follow an inverse educational gradient, with those with primary studies being at higher risk. During the last financial crisis, DRM decreased only in men with tertiary studies, with DRM and DDA increasing in all other groups. The increase was larger in those with higher educational status, reducing inequalities in all groups except of DRM in men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Mateo-Urdiales
- Centro Nacional de Epidemiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Public Health and Policy, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
| | | | - María José Belza
- Escuela Nacional de Sanidad, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain
| | - Juan-Miguel Guerras
- Centro Nacional de Epidemiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Enrique Regidor
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain; Departmento de Salud Pública y Materno infantile, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Spijker J. [The effects of the Great Recession and austerity policies on the health of the Spanish population]. GACETA SANITARIA 2020; 34:220-222. [PMID: 32156469 DOI: 10.1016/j.gaceta.2019.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeroen Spijker
- Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), España.
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Borra C, Pons-Pons J, Vilar-Rodríguez M. Austerity, healthcare provision, and health outcomes in Spain. THE EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH ECONOMICS : HEPAC : HEALTH ECONOMICS IN PREVENTION AND CARE 2020; 21:409-423. [PMID: 31853673 DOI: 10.1007/s10198-019-01141-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The recession that started in the United States in December 2007 has had a significant impact on the Spanish economy through a large increase in the unemployment rate and a long recession which led to tough austerity measures imposed on public finances. Taking advantage of this quasi-natural experiment, we use data from the Spanish Ministry of Health from 1996 to 2015 to provide novel causal evidence on the short-term impact of changes in healthcare provision and regulations on health outcomes. The fact that regional governments have discretionary powers in deciding healthcare budgets and that austerity measures have not been implemented uniformly across Spain helps isolate the impact of these policy changes on health indicators of the Spanish population. Using Ruhm's (Q J Econ 115(2):617-650, 2000) fixed effects model, we find that medical staff and hospital bed reductions account for a significant increase in mortality rates from circulatory diseases and external causes, but not from other causes of death. Similarly, mortality rates do not seem to be robustly affected by the 2012 changes in retirees' pharmaceutical co-payments and access restrictions for illegal immigrants. Our results are robust to changes in model specification and sample selection and are primarily driven by accidental and emergency deaths rather than in-hospital mortality, which suggests a larger role for decreases in accessibility rather than decreases in healthcare quality as impact channels.
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