Do Power Consumption Data Tell the Story? - Electricity Intensity and Hidden Economy in Post-Socialist Countries

The paper disputes the frequently presented and quoted statement that in post-socialist economies data on power consumption are better indicators for aggregate output changes than data on official GDP. Attempt is made to show that the variation of electricity intensities in post-socialist countries does not necessarily reflect the growth of the hidden parts of the economy. Statistical and econometric analysis of data for 18 post-socialist economies show that in this region, the differences in measured and registered structural changes are more important factors explaining the differences in the changes of electricity intensity than the changing size of the unofficial economy.

Interrelationships of the hidden economy and some visible segments of the labour market

Since there are no broadly accepted macro-level estimations for the size of the hidden economy, the interrelationships of the hidden economy with different segments of the labor market have to be approached in a number of different ways. In our cross-country analysis, in parts 2 and 3 we use indirect estimations of the hidden economy and show that the size of the hidden economy and the size of self-employment can be explained by similar explanatory variables, tax rates and corruption being prominent among them. In part 4 we set up and quantify a model to analyze the interrelationships among the hidden economy and the pools of self-employed and non-employed people. For this model we use a specific direct indicator of the hidden economy, the concealed consumption share which is derived from the notion of the non-observed economy used by statistical agencies. We show that the size of this part of the hidden economy is determined by the tax rate related to the consumption and the level of corruption. We also demonstrate that the concealed consumption share plays an important role in the determination of the size of various segments of the labor market, while the developments of these segments also have their impact on this specific part of the hidden economy.Hidden economy, labor market, taxation, corruption

Disparities in the quality of household packaged food purchases in the United States: trends over time and geography and the role of state policies

Diet disparities by socioeconomic status are increasing in the US, yet it is unknown whether the quality of packaged food purchases (PFPs), a substantial portion of the diet, follow the same pattern. In addition, little is known about how dietary quality differs by geographic region of the US. The objective of this study was to characterize socioeconomic and geographic differences in the quality of PFPs and determine whether state policies were associated with PFPs. We used a nationally-representative dataset of household PFPs and measured quality through a series of nutrient and food group outcomes. First, we characterized trends in disparities by income, education, and race/ethnicity for each PFP outcome from 2008-2018. Secondly, we used spatial cluster analysis to examine regional high (or low) clusters of each nutrient or food group outcome and used multilevel generalized linear models to confirm geographic variation after controlling for household demographic composition across the country. Lastly, we tested whether state-level policies were associated with the quality of PFPs, which we hypothesized would be more salient for low-income and low-education households. We found disparities in the quality of PFPs by income and race/ethnicity, with the greatest disparities observed by education. These disparities were largely persistent from 2008 to 2018. In addition, we found geographic variation in the quality of PFPs that reflected the geographic distribution of the prevalence of diet-related disease. We also found significant variation in the magnitude of disparities within U.S. states after controlling for other household characteristics. However, despite these differences between states, we found very few associations between these outcomes and state-level food and social welfare policies in models that controlled for state fixed effects. We found this to be true even when we limited our sample to low-income or low-education households. In conclusion, future policy efforts at the local, state, and national level should intentionally aim to narrow disparities in the quality of packaged foods households purchase. Although the state policies we examined explained little of the quality of PFPs, our identification of 1) persistent disparities over time for specific food groups 2) regional clusters of relatively higher quality PFPs and 3) states with both no disparities and higher quality PFPs, all provide multiple opportunities to investigate other systemic drivers of the quality of PFPs.Doctor of Philosoph

Time waits for no one: longitudinal study on the effects of an anti-stigma seminar on the psychology student population

The primary aim is to describe the changes in the knowledge of mental health conditions, the attitudes toward the mentally ill, and the intended behaviour towards people with mental illness among the entire student population of the third year of a degree course in Psychology. A total of 570 students attended a seminar on stigma towards mental illness and were invited to complete an online survey which collected data on sociodemographic characteristics and three validated questionnaires evaluating different aspects of stigma at three different time points (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at one year follow up). A total of 253 students (44.39%) completed the questionnaires at t0, t1, and t2. The mean age of the sample was 23.7 (SD = ±5.89), and 86.96% (n = 220) were females. Between t0 and t1, a statistically significant improvement was observed for all three outcomes, while the intended behaviour outcome was no longer significant between t1 and t2 (Z = −0.70; p = 0.48). Females and who participated live at the seminar maintained a significant knowledge of mental illness and a better attitude toward community mental health care. The effects of the seminar focused on reducing stigma tended to diminish over time at one year follow-up, particular in relation to intended behaviour

Key lessons learned from the INDIGO global network on mental health related stigma and discrimination

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Effects of mental health status during adolescence on primary care costs in adulthood across three British cohorts

PURPOSE: This study examines the association between mental health problems in adolescence and general practice (GP) costs during adulthood up to age 50 in the UK. METHODS: We conducted secondary analyses of three British birth cohorts (individuals born in single weeks in 1946, 1958 and 1970). Data for the three cohorts were analysed separately. All respondents who participated in the cohort studies were included. Adolescent mental health status was assessed in each cohort using the Rutter scale (or, for one cohort, a forerunner of that scale) completed in interviews with parents and teachers when cohort members were aged around 16. Presence and severity of conduct and emotional problems were modelled as independent variables in two-part regression models in which the dependent variable was costs of GP services from data collection sweeps up to mid-adulthood. All analyses were adjusted for covariates (cognitive ability, mother's education, housing tenure, father's social class and childhood physical disability). RESULTS: Adolescent conduct and emotional problems, particularly when coexisting, were associated with relatively high GP costs in adulthood up to age 50. Associations were generally stronger in females than males. CONCLUSION: Associations between adolescent mental health problems and annual GP cost were evident decades later, to age 50, suggesting that there could be significant future savings to healthcare budgets if rates of adolescent conduct and emotional problems could be reduced. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable

Associations between neighborhood-level violence and individual mental disorders: results from the World Mental Health surveys in five Latin American cities

Rapidly urbanizing areas of Latin America experience elevated but unevenly distributed levels of violence. Extensive research suggests that individual exposure to violence is associated with higher odds of both internalizing (anxiety and mood) and externalizing (substance and intermittent explosive) mental disorders. Less research, however, has focused on how neighborhood-level violence, as an indicator of broader neighborhood contexts, might relate to the mental health of residents, independently of an individual’s personal exposure. We used multilevel analyses to examine associations of neighborhood-level violence with individual-level past-year mental disorders, controlling for individual-level violence exposure. We used data from 7,251 adults nested in 83 neighborhoods within five large Latin American cities as part of the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. Accounting for individual-level violence exposure, living in neighborhoods with more violence was associated with significantly elevated odds of individual-level internalizing disorders, but not externalizing disorders. Caution should be exercised when making causal inferences regarding the effects of neighborhood-level violence in the absence of experimental interventions. Nevertheless, neighborhood context, including violence, should be considered in the study of mental disorders. These findings are particularly relevant for rapidly urbanizing areas with high levels of violence, such as Latin America

Predictors of Compliance with COVID-19 Guidelines Across Countries: The role of social norms, moral values, trust, stress, and demographic factors

Despite the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it provided the opportunity to investigate factors associated with compliance with public health measures that could inform responses to future pandemics. We analysed cross-country data (k = 121, N = 15,740) collected one year into the COVID-19 pandemic to investigate factors related to compliance with COVID-19 guidelines. These factors include social norms, moral values, trust, stress, and demographic factors. We found that social norms to follow preventive measures were positively correlated with compliance with local prevention guidelines. Compliance was also predicted by concern about the moral value of harm and care, trust in government and the scientific community, stress, and demographic factors. Finally, we discuss country-level differences in the associations between predictors and compliance. Overall, results indicate that the harm/care dimension of moral foundations and trust are critical to the development of programs and policies aimed at increasing compliance with measures to reduce the spread of disease

Promoting mental health and well-being in schools: examining mindfulness, relaxation and strategies for safety and well-being in English primary and secondary schools—study protocol for a multi-school, cluster randomised controlled trial (INSPIRE)

There are increasing rates of internalising difficulties, particularly anxiety and depression, being reported in children and young people in England. School-based universal prevention programmes are thought to be one way of helping tackle such difficulties. This paper describes an update to a four-arm cluster randomised controlled trial (http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN16386254), investigating the effectiveness of three different interventions when compared to usual provision, in English primary and secondary pupils. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trial was put on hold and subsequently prolonged. Data collection will now run until 2024. The key changes to the trial outlined here include clarification of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, an amended timeline reflecting changes to the recruitment period of the trial due to the COVID-19 pandemic and clarification of the data that will be included in the statistical analysis, since the second wave of the trial was disrupted due to COVID-19. Trial registration ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN16386254. Registered on 30 August 2018