The Policy Information Gap and Resettlers' Well-Being: Evidence from the Anti-Poverty Relocation and Resettlement Program in China

Effect of general health checks on the treatment of chronic diseases: accounting for self-selection in the retrospective cohort study using Korea National Health Insurance data

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the effect of general health checks on the detection and treatment of diabetes and hypertension with controlling for the self-selection problem of undergoing general health checks.

DESIGN

Retrospective observational cohort study.

SETTING

Sample Research Database offered by Korean National Health Insurance Service, between 2002 and 2013.

PARTICIPANTS

Two datasets, focusing on diabetes and hypertensions one by one, are constructed. The number of participants for the datasets is 133 329 (diabetes) and 101 738 (hypertension), respectively.

METHODS

A bivariate probit model with selection was adopted to investigate the impact of general health checks on the diagnosis of critical chronic diseases. The dependent variable was an indicator variable denoting whether a participant has been treated for diabetes (or hypertension) or not for the first time during the sample period. An indicator variable that indicates whether that participant is eligible for free general health checks or not in the focal year (year of the first treatment or last year in the sample) was used as instrument variables to control for the self-selection problem of undergoing general health checks.

RESULTS

We found that there exists substantial self-selection between undergoing general health checks and diagnosis for chronic diseases. The correlations between the unobserved factors influencing the decisions to obtain general health checks and those determining the detection of chronic diseases are highly significant and positive (ie, 0.188 (p<0.001) in diabetes and 0.220 (p<0.001) in hypertension). We confirmed that these positive, significant correlations generate upward bias in the estimated effect of general health checks on the detection and treatment of diabetes (0.312 (p<0.001) when self-selection ignored but 0.099 (p<0.001) when self-selection considered) and hypertension (0.293 (p<0.001) when self-selection ignored but insignificant when self-selection considered). The effect of general health checks and people's self-selection behaviour may differ by socio-economic characteristics of individuals. The general health check is effective in detecting chronic diseases among low-income individuals rather than high-income individuals, implying that general health checks are contributing to helping medically underprivileged low-income people detect and treat their chronic diseases. High-income individuals showed stronger self-selection behaviour than low-income individuals and this may overstate the effect of general health checks if the self-selection is overlooked, particularly among high-income individuals.

CONCLUSION

Self-selection due to unobserved factors between undergoing general health checks and diagnosis of chronic diseases are substantial. After accounting for this, the effect of general health checks on the detection and treatment of diabetes and hypertension is insignificant or marginal. The increases in the treatments of the two diseases following general health checks are 1% and insignificant in diabetes and hypertension, respectively.

Meeting 24-Hour Movement and Dietary Guidelines: Prevalence, Correlates and Association with Weight Status among Children and Adolescents: A National Cross-Sectional Study in China

China is confronted with a “double burden” of underweight and overweight/obesity in children and adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and correlates of meeting 24 h movement and dietary guidelines among Chinese children and adolescents. Further, the study aimed to examine the association of meeting 24 h movement and dietary guidelines with weight status in Chinese children and adolescents. A total of 34,887 Chinese children and adolescents were involved. Only 2.1% of participants met the 24 h movement guidelines. Compared to those who met all three 24 h movement guidelines, those who only met the sleep duration guideline was significantly associated with a higher risk of underweight (p < 0.05), and those who only met the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, or screen time guidelines were significantly associated with a higher risk of overweight/obesity (p < 0.05). Compared with those meeting the dietary guidelines, those who did not meet the soft drink intake guideline had a significantly lower risk of underweight (p < 0.05), those who did not meet the fruit intake guideline had a significantly lower risk of overweight/obesity (p < 0.05), and those who did not meet the milk intake guideline showed a significantly higher risk of overweight/obesity (p < 0.001). These findings indicate a significant association between meeting the 24 h movement and dietary guidelines and weight status among Chinese children and adolescents.

Searching for Hidden Connections between the Evolution of Poverty in Developing Countries and Information Technology

In today’s economy, information technology is present in all aspects of life and has the potential to be used for the development of society. The study aims to find hidden connections between the evolution of poverty in developing countries and information technology. The methodology of the study is based on the monitoring of statistical data from the world atlas Knoema, which characterizes the economic development of countries and the level of poverty, as well as data from the International Telecommunication Union, which characterizes the level of development of information technology in countries around the world. As a result of the study, the evolutionary changes of gross domestic product and the development of information technology were traced, with the subsequent establishment of a relationship between them, confirmed on the basis of the method of rating scores. Finally, a comparative analysis was made to identify the causal links between the evolution of poverty and information technology through the precise indicators that Knoema and the International Telecommunication Union collect to trace the regulatory environment within a country such as the affordability of ICT services, ICT literacy, and the poverty rate. It was found that despite the availability of information technology price policy in developing countries and the uneven growth of GDP mainly in post-Soviet countries, except for the period of the COVID-19 crisis, gaps were identified in the form of low or no ICT literacy at poverty thresholds of 3.8–9.8%. This demonstrates the hidden links between poverty and population’s practical knowledge of information technology, and may constrain the socio-economic development of developing countries. The findings can be used by policymakers as a tool to combat poverty, and are also useful to scholars and economists who work on the digitalization of the population and inclusive education.

Social Stability Risk Assessment of Disaster-Preventive Migration in Ethnic Minority Areas of Southwest China

Disaster-preventive migration (DPM) is an important method for disaster risk management, but migration itself entails a potential social stability risk. This study took County D in Yunnan Province, one of the counties most severely threatened by geological disasters in China, as an example to construct an indicator system of social stability risk factors for disaster-preventive migration based on a literature survey and in-depth interviews. The system consists of 5 first-level risk factors and 14 s-level risk factors. The social stability risk of DPM in County D was assessed using a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method based on experts’ weights. The results showed that the overall social stability risk level of disaster-preventive migration in County D is ‘high’. In terms of importance, the five first-level risk factors were ranked as follows: public opinion risk > compensation risk > livelihood recovery risk > cultural risk > geological disaster risk. Among the risk factors, the level of public opinion risk and compensation risk appeared to be high, whereas that of livelihood recovery risk, cultural risk and geological disaster risk resulted to be medium. To our knowledge, this paper is the first research to evaluate the social stability risk of DPM; it not only enriches the theories of social stability risk assessment, but also has important guiding significance for people relocation and resettlement in Chinese ethnic minority areas.

Correlation between Elderly Migrants' Needs and Environmental Adaptability: A Discussion Based on Human Urbanization Features

Building concentrated resettlement community in small towns is mostly used to deal with resettlement construction for rural migrants in economically developed regions in China, which leads to migrants’ living environment changing from rural settlements where production and living are intertwined to an urban community that only supports living functions. However, the urbanized environment is contrary to elderly migrants’ behavior, resulting in contradictions or conflicts between migrants and resettlement communities, reflecting a lack of urbanization synchronization between migrants and resettlement community environments. Further, elderly migrants are also equipped with different degrees and types of urbanization characteristics, thus reflecting different abilities to adapt to the urban community environment. Based on the corresponding relationship between people’s different production and living needs and urbanization, this research starts by investigating the production and living needs of elderly migrants, and further clarifies the environmental adaptability of elderly migrants by sorting the types and characteristics of urbanization of elderly migrants to provide a reference basis for the planning and construction of future resettlement areas. The research uses questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to investigate the population attributes and characteristics of elderly migrants, as well as their different needs for production and living. The research uses hierarchical cluster analysis, the one-way ANOVA test and Chi-square test to constructed a four-quadrant model on human urbanization features: an Urban Group with both living and production urbanized (Group H-H); a Half-urban-half-rural Group with only living needs urbanized (Group H-L); a Half-urban-Half-rural Group with only production needs urbanized (Group L-H); and a Rural group with both living and production needs not urbanized (Group L-L). Finally, based on the results, this research proposed three elderly environment construction orientations of “Promote the Supply Level of Urban Public Services”, “Create a Place That Embodies the Spirit of Immigrants’ Homeland”, and “Moderate Consideration of Agricultural Production Needs” for residential planning.

Risk Information Seeking Behavior in Disaster Resettlement: A Case Study of Ankang City, China

In 2011, the Chinese government launched a disaster mitigation and preparedness program called the Resettlement of South Shaanxi (RSS). Due to the wide geographical scope and complex interests, the possibility of conflicts was increased during and after resettlement. Efficient risk communication improves the supply of information about risks and meets the risk-related information needs of individuals. Using the risk information seeking and processing (RISP) model, this research applied a structural equation model and survey with a structured questionnaire to study ways to improve risk communication in disaster resettlement. A total of 616 valid questionnaires were provided by study respondents in resettlement sites in Ziyang County, Ankang City, Shaanxi Province. The results indicated the following: (1) the public’s information seeking behavior relies more on village committees and village officials than other channels. Emerging information channels, such as Weibo and WeChat (social media applications in China), do not play leading roles in disseminating risk information. (2) There are differences between the information channels used by residents and the channels that residents believe the most. (3) Relevant channel beliefs, information sufficiency, perceived hazard characteristics, and self-efficacy directly influence risk information seeking behavior. However, the capacity to gather information has non-significant direct influences on information seeking behavior. (4) Perceived hazard characteristics and self-efficacy drive risk information seeking behavior in both direct and indirect ways through information sufficiency.