Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Income Distribution”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,225 records · Page 68Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Drug utilization and nutrition patterns among children from indigent and emigrant families in Crete, Greece.

AIM: To examine pharmaceutical needs, prescribed drugs, knowledge about pharmacotherapy and dietary patterns among indigent children. PATIENTS: 101 children (< or =18 y old), typically poor, from low-income families and emigrants coming back home from other countries, registered under Social Care in Chania, Crete. The control group comprised 81 Social Security insured children (< or =18 y old). The length of the study was from January 1995 to December 1997. RESULTS: The socio-demographic profile of the Social Care children reveals a no schooling rate of 9.7% vs 0% of the control group. The most common disease diagnosed in the indigent children was bronchitis (18.5%) compared with respiratory infection (14.6%) in the control group. Tuberculosis was diagnosed in 2.0% of the Social Care indigent children and in none of the insured children. The most frequently prescribed drug category in both groups as Defined Daily Doses (D.D.D.) was for the respiratory system (32.4% vs 21.2%), while antibiotics were the most expensive (41.6% in the indigent vs 54.9% in the control group). Only 27.4% of Social Care indigent patients, versus 51.2% of insured patients, understood the instructions regarding the proper use of their drugs. Regarding the dietary patterns, significant differences were found in the consumption of breakfast every day (73.7% vs 87.7%), red meat > or =4 per week (0% vs 6.3%) and fruits often (60.1% vs 75.0%). CONCLUSION: The present study emphasises the need for more information on drug use and the necessity for a continuing health educational intervention among indigent children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Socioeconomic status is an important determinant of the use of invasive procedures after acute myocardial infarction in New York State.

BACKGROUND: Patient and hospital characteristics influence the use of invasive cardiac procedures. Whether socioeconomic status (SES) has an influence that is independent of these other determinants is unclear. The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of household income as a measure of SES on the use of invasive cardiac procedures among a large group of patients with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed administrative discharge data from 231 nonfederal acute care hospitals in New York State that involved 28 698 black or white inpatients with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 410.XX in the principal diagnosis position between January 1 and December 31, 1995. Household income was derived from postal ZIP codes and census data. The use of cardiac catheterization, PTCA, CABG, and any revascularization procedure was examined across groups stratified by income. Patients who resided in lower-income neighborhoods were more often female or black, had a higher prevalence of coexistent illness, had a higher use of Medicaid insurance, and were less often admitted to urban hospitals or hospitals that provide on-site CABG and PTCA. Crude and adjusted odds ratios for catheterization, PTCA, CABG, and any revascularization procedure were related to income in a graded fashion. After adjustment, patients in the highest quintile of income were 22% more likely to undergo catheterization, 74% more likely to undergo PTCA, 48% more likely to undergo CABG, and 76% more likely to undergo any revascularization procedure than were patients in the lowest quintile. The difference in cardiac catheterization did not fully account for income-based differences in revascularization, because income remained a significant determinant of revascularization after accounting for whether a catheterization was performed. Even among patients treated in hospitals that provide on-site CABG and PTCA, income was a significant determinant of procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Lower-income patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction are more often female or black, have more coexisting illnesses, and are less often admitted to urban hospitals or hospitals that provide CABG and PTCA. Even after adjustment for these and other factors, lower income is a negative predictor of procedure use.

Black or African American↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparisons between dentist ratings and self-ratings of dental appearance in an elderly population.

Little is known about dental appearance in terms of the elderly population. The purpose of this paper is to compare self-reported dental appearance with dentist-rated appearance for individuals over 65. The subjects (N = 550) were participants in the Los Angeles based Medicare Screening and Health Promotion Trial. Most were female (57.3%), white (89.0%), and married (62.0%), with a mean age of 74.5 years. About one-third had incomes greater than $25,000. Results are based on a 45 minute telephone interview and onsite dental screening. Findings show that 40% of the self-ratings on a five point scale were higher than the dentist ratings, and 22% were lower. Bivariate analyses showed that both sets of ratings were related to dental status variables, self-reported health, and education. High self-ratings were also associated with being white and having a positive mental health status, while high dentist ratings were associated with patients who were younger, married, and who had higher income and social network scores. Comparison of results from two multiple regressions showed unique predictors for the self-ratings (marital status and GOHAI scores) and for the dentist ratings (sex and income). These discrepancies can raise barriers to effective treatment planning in the elderly, which could affect utilization and satisfaction.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1988

Joint effects of ecological and personal factors on elderly interprovincial migration in Canada.

"This paper analyzes the joint effects of ecological and personal factors on elderly migration in Canada in the late 1970s, using information on migration and personal factors extracted from the individual file of the 1981 Public Use Sample. Our focus on elderly Canadians stems from the expectation that the Canadian population will continue to age rapidly over the next three decades and that the elderly's demand for services (for example, health care and income maintenance) will expand rapidly as a consequence. Some of these services are clearly location-specific and should be matched to the changing distribution of the elderly population, which is, of course, affected by geographic mobility." (SUMMARY IN FRE)

Adult↗
PubMed2005

E-health: determinants, opportunities, challenges and the way forward for countries in the WHO African Region.

BACKGROUND: The implementation of the 58th World Health Assembly resolution on e-health will pose a major challenge for the Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region due to lack of information and communications technology (ICT) and mass Internet connectivity, compounded by a paucity of ICT-related knowledge and skills. The key objectives of this article are to: (i) explore the key determinants of personal computers (PCs), telephone mainline and cellular and Internet penetration/connectivity in the African Region; and (ii) to propose actions needed to create an enabling environment for e-health services growth and utilization in the Region. METHODS: The effects of school enrolment, per capita income and governance variables on the number of PCs, telephone mainlines, cellular phone subscribers and Internet users were estimated using a double-log regression model and cross-sectional data on various Member States in the African Region. The analysis was based on 45 of the 46 countries that comprise the Region. The data were obtained from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) sources. RESULTS: There were a number of main findings: (i) the adult literacy and total number of Internet users had a statistically significant (at 5% level in a t-distribution test) positive effect on the number of PCs in a country; (ii) the combined school enrolment rate and per capita income had a statistically significant direct effect on the number of telephone mainlines and cellular telephone subscribers; (iii) the regulatory quality had statistically significant negative effect on the number of telephone mainlines; (iv) similarly, the combined school enrolment ratio and the number of telephone mainlines had a statistically significant positive relationship with Internet usage; and (v) there were major inequalities in ICT connectivity between upper-middle, lower-middle and low income countries in the Region. By focusing on the adoption of specific technologies we attempted to interpret correlates in terms of relationships instead of absolute "causals". CONCLUSION: In order to improve access to health care, especially for the majority of Africans living in remote rural areas, there is need to boost the availability and utilization of e-health services. Thus, universal access to e-health ought to be a vision for all countries in the African Region. Each country ought to develop a road map in a strategic e-health plan that will, over time, enable its citizens to realize that vision.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Rehospitalization of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants: are there racial/ethnic disparities?

BACKGROUND: Premature infants are at increased risk for rehospitalization after discharge from the hospital. Racial disparities are known to exist in pediatric health care. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether racial disparities exist in the proportion of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants rehospitalized prior to 18 months corrected age and the causes of rehospitalization. METHODS: The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network database was used to identify all ELBW infants (n=2446) who were born between November 1, 1998 and May 31, 2000 at the 14 participating centers and discharged alive (n=1591). Infants were seen at 18-22 months corrected age for followup. Data related to maternal variables, race, socioeconomic status, medical morbidities, insurance, and rehospitalizations were recorded from the medical record and parent interview. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship of race/ethnicity and rehospitalization while controlling for gestational age, gender, center, maternal education, family income, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), necrotizing enterocolitis, ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prophylaxis, and insurance type. RESULTS: In all, 1405 (88%) infants were evaluated at followup. The racial distribution of infants admitted, discharged, seen at followup, and rehospitalized were similar. Rehospitalization occurred at least once in 49% of the infants. In the logistic regression analyses, race was not a significant predictor for rehospitalization. The odds of rehospitalization were related to low family income, type of insurance, BPD, VP shunt, RSV prophylaxis, and center. CONCLUSION: Race was not a predominant variable in the risk of rehospitalization in this cohort of ELBW infants. Medical morbidities and low family income appear to be the major risk factors for rehospitalization.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1993

[Italians in Western Australia: an isolated community in a period of aging].

Characteristics of the Italian-born population of Western Australia are examined in light of the state's large size and relative isolation. "After a brief review of the gold rush of the 1890s and the agricultural settlement that followed, the paper examines the evolution in the age composition of the population, the extraordinary rapid turnover of migrants, the predominance of young males among them. Brief comparisons are made with other migrant groups in 1986. The importance of education for the attainment of a good income is examined....[The author finds that] mixed marriages (some inevitable because of the much greater number of males among the Italian-born) enrich both sides culturally but speed up the assimilation process." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND FRE)

Acculturation↗
PubMed1998

A distributed cortical network for auditory sensory memory in humans.

Auditory sensory memory is a critical first stage in auditory perception that permits listeners to integrate incoming acoustic information with stored representations of preceding auditory events. Here, we investigated the neural circuits of sensory memory using behavioral and electrophysiological measures of auditory processing in patients with unilateral brain damage to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior association cortex, or the hippocampus. We used a neurophysiological marker of an automatic component of sensory memory, the mismatch negativity (MMN), which can be recorded without overt attention. In comparison with control subjects, temporal-parietal patients had impaired auditory discrimination and reduced MMN amplitudes with both effects evident only following stimuli presented in the ear contralateral to the lesioned hemisphere. This suggests that auditory sensory memories are predominantly stored in auditory cortex contralateral to the ear of presentation. Dorsolateral prefrontal damage impaired performance and reduced MMNs elicited by deviant stimuli presented in either ear, implying that dorsolateral prefrontal cortices have a bilateral facilitatory effect on sensory memory storage. Hippocampal lesions did not affect either performance or electrophysiological measures. The results provide evidence of a temporal-prefrontal neocortical network critical for the transient storage of auditory stimuli.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1981

Cardiovascular risk factors in Mexican Americans in Laredo, Texas. I. Prevalence of overweight and diabetes and distributions of serum lipids.

An epidemiologic survey of cardiovascular risk factors was carried out on a random sample of Mexican Americans living in two low income census tracts in Laredo, Texas. The prevalence of overweight was found to be intermediate between US national estimates and the rates recorded for Pima Indians. Similarly, the prevalence of fasting hyperglycemia was intermediate between the rates observed in a sample or predominantly Caucasian individuals and those observed in Pima Indians. Excess hyperglycemia in the Laredo Mexican American population compared to predominantly Caucasian populations does not appear to be due to a lower level of medical control of diabetes in the former. Rather, it probably reflects a true excess in the prevalence of diabetes. Serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were also higher in Laredo Mexican Americans than in a Caucasian comparison population. Mexican Americans are of mixed European and native American ancestry. Native Americans have high rates of diabetes which could be on a genetic basis. The intermediate rates of hyperglycemia in Mexican Americans could thus have a genetic explanation. On the other hand, sociocultural determinants could be important since these are known to influence obesity which is a major precursor of diabetes.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Median ages of eruption of the primary teeth in white and Hispanic children from Arizona.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this project was to establish median eruption ages of primary teeth and evaluate eruption differences between contralateral teeth by gender, ethnicity, and household income. Data was derived from a caries study of preschool children. METHODS: A total of 4,277 white (non-Hispanic) and Hispanic preschool children from Arizona were visually examined for caries and tooth eruption status by 5 examiners between February 1994 and September 1995. Analyses of eruption status were conducted using logistic regression to produce an eruption probability distribution from which median eruption ages for the primary teeth were determined. Possible differences in eruption timing between contralateral teeth by gender, ethnicity, and household income were examined. RESULTS: Eruption status of 1 tooth was significantly predictive of the pair-matched tooth for all pairs. Differences were found for the maxillary central incisor (gender) and the mandibular second molar (ethnicity). Eruption ages did not vary by household income. Median eruption ages for each of the 10 primary teeth are presented. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides contemporary median eruption ages for primary teeth.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1988

The spatial urban hierarchy in Turkey: its structure and some of its determinants.

"This paper gives a detailed description of the Turkish spatial hierarchy, tests certain aspects of the central place theory, and identifies the principles by which the hierarchy is organized. From the results of a country-wide survey, a seven-level hierarchy is identified....Regression analysis reveals that different factors operate at different levels and with varying intensities in ordering the structure of the system with no one factor being predominant. Income per capita, the density of the road network, the nature of the terrain, the degree of spatial mobility, the structure of economic activity in rural areas, and the distribution of labor force by type of activity emerge as ordering the frequency of centers and the sizes of their nested tributary areas."

Asia↗
PubMed1996

Women's health: dimensions and differentials.

This paper is concerned with the social patterning of ill-health amongst women in Britain. It uses the various health measures available in the Health and Lifestyle Survey (self-assessed health, disease/disability, illness, psycho-social well-being and fitness) to explore whether there are particular aspects of health systematically associated with social advantage and disadvantage, as measured by current or last occupation, employment status, household composition and household income. Among women aged 18-59, after controlling for age, number of psychological symptoms experienced in the past month showed the greatest social variation. Number of physical illness symptoms in the last month showed the least. Lone mothers with dependent children were found to have particularly poor psycho-social health, although this was confined to those in full-time employment. The presence of a long-standing disease/disability proved useful as a control for the influence of health selection in to and out of both employment and motherhood.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Inequalities in the prevalence of smoking in the European Union: comparing education and income.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to determine whether education or income was more strongly related to smoking in the European Union at large, and within the individual countries of the EU, at the end of the 1990s. METHODS: We related smoking prevalence to education and income level by analyzing cross-sectional data on a total of 48,694 men and 52,618 women aged 16 and over from 11 countries of the European Union in 1998. RESULTS: Both education and income were related to smoking within the European Union at large. After adjustment of the other socioeconomic indicator, education remained related to smoking in the EU at large, but income only remained so among men. Educational inequalities were larger than income-related inequalities among younger and middle-aged men and women. Educational inequalities were larger than income-related inequalities among men in all individual countries, and among women in Northern Europe. For women from Southern European countries, the magnitude of education- and income-related inequalities was similar. CONCLUSIONS: Education is a strong predictor of smoking in Europe. Interventions should aim to prevent addiction to smoking among the lower educated, by price policies, school-based programs, and smoking cessation support for young adults.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Socioeconomic aspects of spousal concordance for hypertension, obesity, and smoking in a community of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to evaluate the environmental role in the distribution of hypertension, obesity, and smoking and spousal concordance for the presence/absence of these 3 cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The households were randomly selected. Odds ratios were estimated to measure spousal concordance, across socioeconomic levels. RESULTS: Overall a significant aggregation of all 3 risk factors was present. The crude odds ratio for hypertension was 1.78 (95%CI=1.02-3.08); for obesity, it was 1.80 (95%CI=1.09-2.96); and for smoking, it was 3.40 (95% CI=2.07-5.61). The spousal concordance for hypertension decreased significantly (p<0.001) from the lower to the higher educational level. In the case of obesity and smoking, the opposite was observed, although p-values for the linear trend were 0.10 and 0.08, respectively. CONCLUSION: In lower socioeconomic levels, couples are more concordant for hypertension and discordant for smoking. For hypertension and smoking, education seems to be a discriminant stronger than income, but for obesity the 2 socioeconomic indicators seem to represent different aspects of the environmental determinants of risk factor distribution.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Study on the related factors of smoking behavior transition at different stages among undergraduate students].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the influencing factors of smoking behavior transition at different stage of smoking among undergraduate students. METHODS: 8138 undergraduate students from grade 1 to 3 were selected using cluster sampling method from an university in Guangzhou with their smoking behaviors and relevant factors studied through a self-administered questionnaire. Beginners, un-regular smokers and regular smokers were defined as "case group", while non-smokers, beginners and un-regular smokers were defined as "control group" accordingly. Three multivariable logistic regressions were separately conducted to explore the influencing factors of behavioral transition at different stage of smoking. RESULTS: Of the 8138 students investigated, the prevalence rates of beginners, un-regular smokers and regular smokers were 19.6%, 2.0% and 1.1%, respectively; while all of the above said three rates increased with grades of the students. Some students might still try to smoke or become regular smoker in the university. In male undergraduate students, determinants for the transition from non-smokers to s mokers were: source of students, father' s educational level, smoking-related knowledge and belief, and smoking habit of the roommates. Risks that influencing the transition from beginners to un-regular smokers were: being non-medical students,smoking-related belief, roommates and classmates who were smokers and transition from un-regular smokers to regular smokers would include father' s educational level and average income of family. In female undergraduate students,influencing factors from non-smokers to beginners were mother's educational level, smoking-related belief, and roommates smokers, while father's educational level, roommates and classmates' smoking habits were significant associated with beginners' change to un-regular smokers. CONCLUSION: The influencing factors related to the transition of different stage on smoking would be different in undergraduate students,and some specific measures should be taken based on the different stage of smoking.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2004

Race, gender, and the retirement decisions of people ages 60 to 80: prospects for age integration in employment.

UNLABELLED: Demographic projections have prompted concerns about the potential economic burden of an aging population. This article, drawing on the 1998 Health and Retirement Study, explores ways in which race, gender, and age moderate the effects of various factors on labor force participation among people ages 60 to 80. Key findings center on health, education, and non-wage income. First, the effect of low non-wage income is weaker at older ages due to higher levels of functional disability. Second, the effect of low education is stronger for women, who perceive their chances of finding employment as low. Third, the effect of health is weaker for blacks, as they are less likely to find steady employment regardless of health. POLICY IMPLICATIONS: Employer flexibility in number of hours worked might make sense for workers close to retirement age, while job search and training programs might be preferable for workers past the typical retirement age.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2004

Is income inequality a determinant of population health? Part 2. U.S. National and regional trends in income inequality and age- and cause-specific mortality.

This article describes U.S. income inequality and 100-year national and 30-year regional trends in age- and cause-specific mortality. There is little congruence between national trends in income inequality and age- or cause-specific mortality except perhaps for suicide and homicide. The variable trends in some causes of mortality may be associated regionally with income inequality. However, between 1978 and 2000 those regions experiencing the largest increases in income inequality had the largest declines in mortality (r= 0.81, p < 0.001). Understanding the social determinants of population health requires appreciating how broad indicators of social and economic conditions are related, at different times and places, to the levels and social distribution of major risk factors for particular health outcomes.

Adolescent↗