Socio-Economic Determinants Of Abortion Rates

Abortion rates are increasing all around the world, especially for young women. Our proposals for public policies to reduce unwanted pregnancies are based on an analysis of the socio-economic determinants of abortion rates. Special attention is paid to regional levels of alcohol consumption, living conditions, and public spending on health and education. We carry out estimations using data on regions in Spain from 1999 to 2004. There is empirical evidence that socioeconomic conditions, lifestyles and regional characteristics determine regional abortion rates. Our results suggest that it is important to design public policies to reduce alcohol abuse, improve citizens’ working conditions and promote gender equality through government subsidized childcare.abortion rates; unplanned pregnancy; public policies.

Are Drinkers Prone To Engage In Risky Sexual Behaviors?

Sexually transmitted diseases pose an important public health problem around the world. Although many studies have explored the link between alcohol use and risky sexual practices, the unobserved differences among individuals make it difficult to assess whether the associations are casual in nature. In order to overcome these difficulties, we have obtained data from the Spanish Health and Sexual Behavior Survey (2003) in order to analyze risky sexual behaviors using four alternative methodologies: controlling results with a rich set of variables; identifying the impact of alcohol use while assuming there is an identical selection outcome for observed and unobserved variables; estimating alcohol consumption and risky sexual behaviors simultaneously based on instrumental variables; and using reduced-form equations to analyze the impact of alcohol prices and other alcohol policies on the likelihood of risky intercourse. We provide empirical evidence that alcohol abuse might increase the probability of risky sex and, more importantly, different alcohol policies are not only effective tools for reducing alcohol demand but also for controlling risky sexual behaviors.alcohol; sexually transmitted diseases; unobserved individual heterogeneity.

Internal inconsistency and risk aversion: Implications on smoking decisions

The main contribution of this paper is an analysis of the nature of the link between internal coherence and risk aversion. Both variables play an important role in individual decisions concerning risk behaviors. We compare the levels of internal consistency and risk aversion among smokers and non-smokers. To measure the individual internal coherence and risk aversion, we use a survey that includes lottery questions. Our results confirm that smokers are consistent in their decisions and they behave as risk averse. These results should be treated with circumspection as lottery questions are based on monetary expectations that depend on socio-economic conditions and they obviate other dimensions such as social recognition. La principal contribución de este artículo es analizar la naturaleza de la asociación entre la coherencia interna y la aversión al riesgo. Ambas variables juegan un papel principal en las decisiones individuales sobre comportamientos de riesgo, tal que como caso particular, comparamos los niveles consistencia interna y aversión al riesgo entre fumadores y no fumadores. Para medir la coherencia interna y la aversión al riesgo individual, recurrimos a una encuesta que incluye preguntas de loterías. Nuestros resultados confirman que los fumadores son consistentes en sus decisiones, y de hecho, se comportan como adversos al riesgo. Estos resultados hay que tomarlos con cautela, pues las preguntas sobre loterías se basan principalmente en expectativas monetarias que dependen de condiciones socio-económicas obviando otras dimensiones como el reconocimiento social

Del capital humano al capital social: estrategias de prevención del consumo de alcohol

La riqueza de una nación ya no se identifica exclusivamente con sus dotaciones económicas y sus recursos naturales, sino que también integra otras dos formas de capital: humano y social. De hecho, una comunidad rica seria aquella que simultáneamente y de manera equilibrada, incrementa sus cuotas en estos cuatro recursos. Por tanto, dada la importancia del capital humano y social en el desarrollo económico sostenible, es necesario ahondar en su relación de complementariedad. La formación de ambos capitales depende de un conjunto amplio de factores interrelacionados entre los que destacamos la importancia del sistema educativo y de la salud poblacional. Las condiciones y los comportamientos de riesgo para la salud comprometen su desarrollo. El consumo de bebidas alcohólicas nos brinda un marco idóneo para contrastar nuestra línea argumentativa. En este sentido, la apuesta por estrategias de prevención y promoción de la salud supone un difícil ejercicio de coordinación entre los distintos poderes públicos, que implica la planificación de políticas de desarrollo a largo plazo

Psychosocial determinants of risky sexual behaviour by gender in Spain

Objectives: This study examines the determinants of risky sexual behaviour by gender in Spain. Methods: Data was taken from the Spanish Health and Sexual Behaviour Survey (2003). Controlled regression results for a wide set of variables (socio-demographic characteristics, behaviour, knowledge and attitudes) were calculated and a factor analysis to group and to rank variables by explanatory power was carried out. Gender differences were analysed by means of repeated estimations by sub-samples of men and women. Differences based on age and sexual orientations were also taken into account. Results: HIV risk perceptions and opinions on the use of condoms are important predictors of unsafe sex for both genders. Men not only have more negative opinions of male condoms than women but these opinions are more likely to result in risky sexual behaviours. The consumption of alcohol appears to be linked to unsafe sex among young people, especially young heterosexual men. Conclusions: As perceptions and opinions are susceptible to change, the authors suggest the implementation of gender-oriented educational campaigns and policies on sexual and reproductive health. Effective education on alcohol consumption could reduce the negative outcomes associated with unsafe sex

Quality and participation in the health care system in the Casablanca district (Zaragoza, Spain): a reflection on the importance of community

El debate sobre la calidad y sostenibilidad de nuestro sistema sanitario nos remite a cuestiones relativas a la medida de su acceso y valoración por parte de la ciudadanía. La atención primaria centra dichas premisas en el ámbito local y comunitario. En el barrio de Casablanca (Zaragoza) preguntamos a 1.032 vecinos sobre la percepción de sus servicios públicos como recursos potenciales de apoyo y el modo concreto en el que los agentes sanitarios podían mejorar su actuación. Con este fin, se diseñó una encuesta liderada por el personal médico, la trabajadora social del centro de salud y profesores universitarios del ámbito psicosocial. En los resultados del estudio, se constata que variables como el sexo, la edad y la zona de residencia en el barrio influyen tanto en la evaluación de estos recursos sociales como en las alternativas que se proponen para su mejora. El desarrollo de nuestro sistema sanitario requiere no solo de una política anticrisis y de la racionalización presupuestaria, sino también de medidas socioeconómicas que garanticen la equidad en su acceso y la participación comunitaria en su planificación.The debate over the quality and sustainability of our health care system leads us to questions concerning public access and its value to the public. Primary health care focuses these considerations at the local and community level. In the district of Casablanca (Zaragoza, Spain), 1,032 residents were polled on their perceptions of their health care resources as potential sources of support and the specific way in which health workers could improve their performance. To this end, we designed a survey led by medical staff, the social worker at the local health center and University professors in the psychosocial fields. In the results of the study, we found that variables such as sex, age and area of residence in the neighborhood influence the evaluation of these social resources as well as their alternatives for improvement. The development of our health care system requires not only an anti-crisis policy and budgetary rationalization, but also socio- economic strategies that ensure equity in access and community participation in its planning

Socially active aging and self-reported health: Building a sustainable solidarity ecosystem

Senior volunteering is associated with improved welfare, in addition to contributing to social development. Thus, the involvement of seniors in non-profit organizations (NPO), the third sector, or the social economy is encouraged by European national governments. At the organizational level, the situation for older volunteers in the third sector has improved in recent years, mainly due to European legal regulations. Despite a certain degree of homogenization across European countries, significant national differences persist in the adoption and promotion of volunteering. The present study examines the link between self-reported health and participation in volunteering activities among European seniors, stratified by sex and generation (the Silent Generation and the Baby Boomer Generation). We focus our analysis on seniors living in Germany, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and Ukraine. Analyses were conducted using empirical micro data from the World Values Survey (WVS; 1994/98, 2005/09 and 2010/14). Our results demonstrate the positive impact of volunteering on health status among the elderly, although we observed marked differences in the associated benefits between sexes, generational cohorts, and countries. Public policies should be developed with this important source of social capital in mind, but should also seek to address existing inequity

Benefits of Older Volunteering on Wellbeing: An International Comparison

Healthier aging implies lower health service expenditure and the possibility for individuals to make a longer and more valuable contribution to society. Lifestyles, including volunteering, affect our health. The policy implications of the present study are that it aims to broaden the state of knowledge and be useful to public decision-makers: if voluntary activities enhance the integration of older people into society, their participation will help to generate economic resources and improve their own welfare; if, however, health and participation do not show positive synergies, then policymakers must act independently in each of these fields. In this work, we focus on the societies of Chile, Mexico, and Spain because they have significantly aging populations and share common traits but also exhibit important differences. The empirical study employs micro-data from the World Value Survey (1994–1998, 2005–2009, and 2010–2014) and macro-data from the statistics of the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). Micro- and macro-data are merged by national and temporal identifiers. Our main results provide empirical evidence that volunteering might improve every indicator of wellbeing except happiness. Different kinds of activities have different impacts on individual wellbeing. For example, volunteering in activities related to social awareness is positive for male life satisfaction, whereas volunteering in activities related to religious issues is positive for male life satisfaction but also female happiness. In general, voluntary activities have a stronger impact on male wellbeing than female wellbeing

Is happiness linked to subjective life expectancy?. A study of chilean senior citizens

The main goal of this research is to determine the link between happiness and individual subjective life expectancy (SLE) among Chilean senior citizens. We use data from the 2015 edition of the Chilean Social Protection Survey. Our sample consists of 1298 seniors: 700 aged 65–74, 421 aged 75–84, and 177 aged 85 and older. We provide a novel methodological approach that allows us to measure the relative contribution of happiness to SLE, by combining the Shapley–Owen–Shorrocks decomposition with contrasts of marginal linear predictions of the equality of the means by groups. Results reveal that happiness is the most important determinant of seniors’ SLE, and the effect is stronger the older the people are. Addressing varying levels of happiness is important because both happiness and unhappiness have a significant impact. In an ageing population, social agents should consider that these variables (happiness and SLE) are related to engagement in healthy lifestyles. If prevention programs integrated this interaction, welfare systems could save scarce resources. Therefore, governments should foster happiness to support active ageing