Hypertension Prevalence,Awareness,Treatment,and Control and Their Associated Socioeconomic Factors in China:A Spatial Analysis of A National Representative Survey

Objective We aimed to investigate and interpret the associations between socioeconomic factors and the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension at the provincial level in China.Methods A nationally and provincially representative sample of 179,059 adults from the China Chronic Disease and Nutrition Surveillance study in 2015–2016 was used to estimate hypertension burden. The spatial Durbin error model was fitted to investigate socioeconomic factors associated with hypertension indicators.Results Overall, it was estimated that 29.20% of the participants were hypertensive nationwide,among whom, 34.32% were aware of their condition, 27.69% had received antihypertensive treatment,and 7.81% had controlled their condition. Per capita gross domestic product(GDP) was associated with hypertension prevalence(coefficient:-2.95, 95% CI:-5.46,-0.45) and control(coefficient: 6.35, 95% CI:1.36, 11.34) among adjacent provinces and was also associated with awareness(coefficient: 2.93, 95%CI: 1.12, 4.74) and treatment(coefficient: 2.67, 95% CI: 1.21, 4.14) in local province. Beds of internal medicine(coefficient: 2.66, 95% CI: 1.08, 4.23) was associated with control in local province. Old dependency ratio(coefficient:-3.58, 95% CI:-5.35,-1.81) was associated with treatment among adjacent provinces and with control(coefficient:-1.69, 95% CI:-2.42,-0.96) in local province.Conclusion Hypertension indicators were not only directly influenced by socioeconomic factors of local area but also indirectly affected by characteristics of geographical neighbors. Population-level strategies should involve optimizing supportive socioeconomic environment by integrating clinical care and public health services to decrease hypertension burden.

Clinical and socioeconomic determinants of survival in biliary tract adenocarcinomas

BACKGROUND Despite advances in detection and treatments,biliary tract cancers continue to have poor survival outcomes.Currently,there is limited data investigating the significance of socioeconomic status,race/ethnicity,and environmental factors in biliary tract cancer survival.Data from the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results database for biliary and gallbladder adenocarcinomas were extracted from 1975 to 2016.Socioe-conomic data included smoking,poverty level,education,adjusted household income,and percentage of foreign-born persons and urban population.Survival was calculated with Cox proportional hazards models for death in the 5-year period following diagnosis.RESULTS Our study included 15883 gallbladder,11466 intrahepatic biliary,12869 extrahepatic biliary and 7268 ampulla of Vater adenocarcinoma cases.When analyzing county-specific demographics,patients from counties with higher incomes were associated with higher survival rates[hazard ratio(HR)=0.97,P<0.05].Similarly,counties with a higher percentage of patients with a college level education and counties with a higher urban population had higher 5-year survival rates(HR=0.96,P=0.002 and HR=0.97,P=0.004,respectively).CONCLUSION Worse survival outcomes were observed in lower income counties while higher income and education level were associated with higher 5-year overall survival among gallbladder and biliary malignancies.

A socioeconomic approach to the profile of microcredit holders from the Hispanic minority in the USA

The subject of this study is the microcredit market in the USA,more specifically in Florida.The justification for choosing this specific state is the massive presence of the Hispanic population.This will facilitate a generalization of the obtained results to the microcredit market in Latin American countries.Thus,the objective of this study is to analyze the profile of microcredit holders and their companies from socioeconomic and financial points of view.As our data also consider the degree of repayment of the microloans included in the sample,the clients’profile is related to the punctuality or default of their corresponding loan repayments using the methodology of multi-nomial logit regression.The variables used in this study refer to personal information concerning borrowers(gender,age,education level,and marital status),the economic situation of their respective companies(closeness to the lender,number of workers,and revenues),and the characteristics of granted loans(principal,term,and purpose).However,the results of the regression show that only two variables are significant at the 5%significance level:the borrower’s age,which has a positive effect on repay-ment punctuality,and the loan term,which exhibits a negative effect.The findings of this study have clear implications,as they can help lenders design suitable microloans adjusted to customer profiles.Finally,future research should include other demograph-ics and characteristics of affected companies.

Navigating Silence: A Comprehensive Review of Parental Roles in the Rehabilitation of Children with Hearing Loss

This narrative literature review delves into the multifaceted realm of parental involvement in the rehabilitation of children with permanent hearing loss. While existing research has made strides in elucidating parental roles in this context, critical gaps persist, necessitating a comprehensive exploration to inform future endeavors. Our review synthesizes a wide array of studies, identifying these gaps and emphasizing the significance of addressing them. Themes emerging from the literature include the varying degrees of parental engagement, the impact of cultural and socio-economic factors, and the challenges faced by families navigating rehabilitation processes. The synthesis of this literature not only highlights the current state of knowledge but also provides a roadmap for future research efforts. By addressing these gaps, we aim to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of parental involvement in the rehabilitation of children with permanent hearing loss, ultimately fostering improved support systems and holistic care for affected families.

Unveiling Global Human Trafficking Trends: A Comprehensive Analysis

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of global human trafficking trends over a twenty-year period, leveraging a robust dataset from the Counter Trafficking Data Collaborative (CTDC). The study unfolds in a systematic manner, beginning with a detailed data collection phase, where ethical and legal standards for data usage and privacy are strictly observed. Following collection, the data undergoes a rigorous preprocessing stage, involving cleaning, integration, transformation, and normalization to ensure accuracy and consistency for analysis. The analytical phase employs time-series analysis to delineate historical trends and utilizes predictive modeling to forecast future trajectories of human trafficking using the advanced analytical capabilities of Power BI. A comparative analysis across regions—Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe—is conducted to identify and visualize the distribution of human trafficking, dissecting the data by victim demographics, types of exploitation, and duration of victimization. The findings of this study not only offer a descriptive and predictive outlook on trafficking patterns but also provide insights into the regional nuances that influence these trends. The article underscores the prevalence and persistence of human trafficking, identifies factors contributing to its evolution, and discusses the implications for policy and law enforcement. By integrating a methodological approach with quantitative analysis, this research contributes to the strategic planning and resource allocation for combating human trafficking. It highlights the necessity for continued research and international cooperation to effectively address and mitigate this global issue. The implications of this research are significant, offering actionable insights for policymakers, law enforcement, and advocates in the ongoing battle against human trafficking.

Demographic and risk characteristics of healthcare workers infected with SARS-CoV-2 from two tertiary care hospitals in the United Arab Emirates

BACKGROUND Understanding the transmission dynamics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)infection among healthcare workers(HCWs)and their social contacts is crucial to plan appropriate risk-reduction measures.AIM To analyze the socio-demographic risk factors and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs in two tertiary care hospitals in Dubai,United Arab Emirates.METHODS The demographic and clinical characteristics were available for all HCWs in both facilities from the human resources department.A cross-sectional survey was conducted from January-April 2022 among HCWs who tested positive through Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction of the nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2 between March 2020 and August 2021 in two tertiary-level hospitals.The survey included questions on demographics,work profile,characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),and infection among their household or co-workers.The survey also checked the knowledge and perception of participants on the infection prevention measures related to SARS-CoV-2.RESULTS Out of a total of 346 HCWs infected with SARS-CoV-2,286(82.7%)HCWs consented to participate in this study.From the sample population,150(52.5%)of participants were female,and a majority(230,80.4%)were frontline HCWs,including 121 nurses(121,42.4%).Only 48(16.8%)participants were fully vaccinated at the time of infection.Most infected HCWs(85%)were unaware of any unprotected exposure and were symptomatic at the time of testing(225,78.7%).Nearly half of the participants(140,49%)had co-infection among household,and nearly one-third(29.5%)had coinfection among three or more household.Another 108(37.8%)participants reported crossinfection among co-workers.The frontline HCWs were significantly more infected(25.1%vs 8.6%,P<0.001)compared to non-frontline HCWs.Another significant risk factor for a high infection rate was male sex(P<0.001).Among the infected frontline HCWs,a significantly higher proportion were male and shared accommodation with family(P<0.001).COVID-19 vaccination significantly reduced the infection rate(83.2%vs 16.8,P<0.001)among HCWs.Most participants(99.3%)were aware about importance of appropriate use of personal protective equipment.However,only 70%agreed with the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccination in preventing an infection and severe disease.CONCLUSION The risk profiling of the HCWs infected with SARS-CoV-2 found that working at frontline and being male increase the rate of infection.COVID-19 vaccination can effectively reduce the rate of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among HCWs.

Syndemic aspects between COVID-19 pandemic and social inequalities

Although the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has reached all over the world population,it has demonstrated a heterogeneous impact on different populations.The most vulnerable communities which coexist daily with the social inequalities like low access to hygiene and personal protection products,crowded residences,and higher levels of chronic diseases have a higher risk of contact and the spread of infection,beyond unfavorable clinical outcomes.The elevation of the risk of infection exposure can be related to gender due to the presence of a larger contingent of women in essential services,as well as frontline and cleaning professionals who regardless of gender have the greatest exposure to the virus.Such exposures can contribute to the development of fear of contaminating themselves or their family members associated also with the work stress,both of which are related to the emergence of mental disturbances in these populations.Furthermore,conditions of unsanitary living and low socioeconomic status,populations at war,pre-existing social barriers,and ethnicity have contributed to more impact of the pandemic both in the exposure to the virus and access to health services,COVID-19 management,and management of other pathologies.At the same time,factors such as the closing of non-essential services,the loss of jobs,and the increase in household spending aggravated the social vulnerabilities and impacted the family economy.Lastly,the COVID-19 pandemic contributed still more to the impact on women's health since it propitiated a favorable environment for increasing domestic violence rates,through the segregation of women from social life,and increasing the time of the victims with their aggressors.

Depressive symptoms and the associations with individual, psychosocial, and structural determinants in Swedish adolescents

Depressive symptoms in adolescents are an increasing public health issue in Sweden and in most Western countries. Aim: To explore how individual, psychosocial, and structural determinants are associated with depressive symptoms in Swedish adolescents. Methods: A web-based questionnaire was answered by 1193 13- to 16-year-old boys (n = 566) and girls (n = 627). Stepwise logistic regressions were employed to analyse the association between depressive symptoms and various determinants at the individual level (self-efficacy), the psychosocial level (parental, peer, and teacher support, school demands, sexual harassment, and bullying) and the structural level (family affluence, having less money than friends, and parental foreign background). Results: Determinants at the individual, psychosocial, and structural levels were independently associated with high levels of depressive symptoms in both boys and girls. The full model explained a high proportion of the variance in depressive symptoms in both genders;34.1% in boys and 36.8% in girls. The psychosocial level contributed the most to explaining the variance in depressive symptoms in boys. In girls, when harassment variables were separated from psychosocial variables, the harassment variables contributed as much to the full model as the rest of the psychosocial variables combined. Conclusions: Addressing psychosocial determinants provides the greatest benefits for preventing depressive symptoms in adolescents. Acknowledging the association between sexual harassment and depressive symptoms for girls and having less money than their friends for boys and girls are particularly important.

Towards Sustainable Cities: Using Multiple Linear Regression Model to Identify Influencing Factors to Promote the Use of Public Transport in Downtown Nanjing,China

In China,public transport has long been regarded as a countermeasure to traffic congestion,air pollution,and extensive energy consumption,etc.Research has shown that the choice of public transport is correlated with physical factors(i.e.,built environment factors) and non-physical factors(e.g.,socioeconomic conditions).This study takes Downtown Nanjing,a major urban area in Eastern China as its study area and uses a multiple linear regression model to identify the factors influencing the choice of public transport,in order to inform future planning,design,and management.The result shows that,with a confidence level of 99%: high repetition coefficient of public transport lines,short distance to the nearest rail transit station,and a high proportion of transit pass holders can promote using public transport.Mixed land use,a high proportion of low-income travelers,and high density of four(and more)-way intersections can promote the choice of public transport when confidence level drops to 90%.Based on the findings,this study makes suggestions for increasing the use of public transport,including improving the coverage of rail transit stations and repetition coefficient of public transport lines,promoting public transport passes and mixed land use,etc.The findings from this study provide meaningful information for planners and decision-makers to build transit-oriented and sustainable cities.

Spatiotemporal variations and determinants of stream nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations from a watershed in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area,China

Socioeconomic development induced nonpoint source(NPS)pollution has aroused an increasing concern,however,most of the previous studies were concentrated on the impacts of environmental determinants.Here,total nitrogen(TN)and total phosphorus(TP)concentrations from 13 sampling sites were collected biweekly from January 2018 to October 2021,and 26 potential factors including environmental and socioeconomic were considered in the Wangjiaqiao watershed of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area,China.Impacts of these factors on TN and TP were evaluated by partial least squares regression(PLSR)model.It showed that average TN and TP concentrations in wet seasons(TN,14.68 mg L^(-1):TP,0.113 mg L^(-1))were higher than that in dry seasons(TN,11.73 mg L^(-1);TP,0.087 mg L^(-1)).Additionally,the TN concentrations were greater in downstream than upstream,however,the highest TP concentrations were found in the middle of the watershed.The optimal PLSR model explained 69.6%,73.1%and 66.1%of the variance in TN concentration,as well as 65.7%,79.5%and 67.4%of the variance in TP concentration during the annual,dry and wet seasons,respectively.Moreover,TN was primarily influenced by topographic wetness index,planting structure,interspersion and juxtaposition index,orchard proportion,nitrogen fertilization,per capita income,and catchment area,whereas TP was mainly controlled by slope gradient,topographic wetness index,hypsometric integral,interspersion and juxtaposition index,and population density.Collectively,environmental factors had greater impacts on the TN and TP concentrations than socioeconomic factors.Raising farmers'awareness of the hazards of NPS pollution is beneficial to watershed NPS pollution control.

Understanding high-emitting households in the UK through a cluster analysis

Anthropogenic climate change is a global problem that affects every country and each individual.It is largely caused by human beings emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.In general,a small percentage of the population is responsible for a large amount of emissions.This paper focuses on high emitters and their CO2 emissions from energy use in UK homes.It applies a cluster approach,aiming to identify whether the high emitters comprise clusters where households in each cluster share similar characteristics but are different from the others.The data are mainly based on the Living Cost and Food survey in the UK.The results show that after equivalising both household emissions and income,the high emitters can be clustered into six groups which share similar characteristics within each group,but are different from the others in terms of income,age,household composition,category and size of the dwelling,and tenure type.The clustering results indicate that various combinations of socioeconomic factors,such as low-income single female living in an at least six-room property,or highincome retired couple owning a large detached house,could all lead to high CO2 emissions from energy use at home.Policymakers should target each high-emitter cluster differently to reduce CO2 emissions from energy consumption at home more effectively.

Determinants of moderate to vigorous physical activity and obesity in children:a structural equation modeling analysis

Background:The determinants of physical activity(PA)and body fatness in Chinese adolescents are rarely examined.This study aimed to investigate the effect of attitude toward PA,screen time,parents'socioeconomic status(SES),and exercise habit on PA and body fatness among Chinese children by using structural equation modeling(SEM)analysis.Methods:Data obtained from the second Community Fitness Survey in Hong Kong region were utilized,in which students from one secondary school of each of the 18 districts of Hong Kong were recruited.A total of 2517 questionnaires with physical fitness items were successfully distributed to students aged 13-19 years in these districts.Families'SES,parents'exercise habit,children's intention to participate in PA,amount of moderate to vigorous PA(MVPA),screen time,children's attitude toward PA,and children's body fat percentage were measured and analyzed with SEM.The structural equation model was composed of a measurement model and a structural model.The model was tested with Mplus 6.The Chi-square test,root mean square error of approximation,comparative fi t index,and Tucker-Lewis index were calculated to evaluate model fit.The model was then modifi ed based on the model fi t indices.Results:Children's intention to participate in PA was a strong predictor of their engagement in MVPA.Parents'exercise habit had both direct and indirect(via attitude)effects on their children's intention to participate in PA.Screen time was not a predictor of body composition.Children's intention to participate in PA directly affected their body composition.Children's attitude toward PA,parents'exercise habit,and SES had signifi cant effects on the children's intention to participate in PA.Furthermore,obesity had a negative effect on the children's attitude toward PA.Conclusions:To promote MVPA and prevent obesity in Chinese children of Hong Kong region,it is important to design intervention that enhances children's intention and attitude in PA,as well as parent's exercise habits.Tailormade programs that take SES into consideration are also essential.Further studies are necessary to extend the results and test the model in other metropolitan areas in China.