The relationship between education and cardiometabolic biomarkers is contextually dependent on both inter-country and intra-country factors. This study aimed to examine educational differences in cardiometabolic biomarkers among middle-aged and older adults in the US, Mexico, China, and India, and whether this relationship is modified by urbanicity of residence.

This study investigates various common medical conditions affecting Australian children aged 4-14 years and the impact of prenatal and early-life conditions on these health conditions using a large national data set (n = 4122) with 15 years of follow-up. Consistent with the developmental origins of health and diseases hypothesis and the life-course models of health, the environment and parental financial hardship during pregnancy and shortly after birth play a significant role and have a lasting impact on the medical conditions of children. These significant effects are not reduced by controlling for child, family, and neighbourhood characteristics. The impact of improvements in family income when the child is aged 4-14 years does not compensate for the impact of health disadvantages in the prenatal and postnatal period.

Accumulated evidence indicates that neighborhood environments affect children's health behaviors. However, measuring neighborhood environments remains challenging because there exist strengths and weaknesses both in objective and perceived environment measures. Drawing on a recent conceptual model of how environment, perception, and behavior interact, we hypothesized that neighbors' behavioral similarities indicate the combined influence of physical and social environmental opportunities on specific behaviors. We then examined how these similarities (i.e. the behavioral tendencies of children's adult neighbors) relate to children's obesogenic dietary behaviors.

This study investigated how sociopolitical changes in the United States between the 1990s and 2000s may explain the increase in substance use disorders and reduced longevity in more recent cohorts of US midlife adults. The 2008 recession which drastically increased unemployment rates across the country may have had negative implications for downstream contextual and individual processes, including both local crime rates and substance use disorders. The Midlife in the United States Survey cohort (1995;  = 6148; 20-75 years) and the MIDUS Refresher cohort (2011;  = 3543; 23-76 years) reported on substance use disorders. These data were linked to Uniform Crime Reporting violent crime rates to determine whether associations between local crime and substance use disorders changed among two separate cohorts of US midlife adults assessed before or after the 2008 recession. In 1995, despite higher local crime rates, substance use disorders were not associated with local crime. The comparatively lower crime rates of 2011, however, associated with greater prevalence of substance use disorders. Considering unemployment rates from the Decennial Census and American Community Survey, which were substantially higher in 2011 relative to 1995, completely diminished the local crime rate-substance use disorder association. The increased prevalence of substance use disorders observed in the more recent cohort of midlife adults assessed in the current study may represent maladaptive coping to local crime after the 2008 recession.

Comorbid overweight/obesity (OWO) and depression is emerging as a public health problem among adolescents. Income inequality is a structural determinant of health that independently increases the risk for both OWO and depression among youth. However, no study has examined the association between income inequality and comorbid OWO and depression or tested potential mechanisms involved. We aimed to identify the association between income inequality and comorbid OWO and depression and to test whether social cohesion mediates this relationship.

This study investigates the spatial accessibility of gun violence exposure along walkable routes to and from schools in Englewood, Chicago. Focusing on both direct and indirect forms of gun violence, the study uses acoustic detection technology to quantify the cumulative burden of gun violence exposure potentially encountered by students during their commute to and from school. We examined the spatial distribution of shooting incidents in proximity to schools using network-constrained kernel density estimation, secondary spatial analysis, and rapid realistic routing. G-function analysis revealed that shooting incidents cluster along streets, including safe passage routes, near schools. An average of 1.30 and 18.06 gunshots were reachable within 5- and 15-min commute times in the morning and afternoon, respectively Our findings underscore the urgent need to reframe the narrative around 'school gun violence' to consider exposures that occur in proximity to school boundaries to more effectively reduce violence exposure for youth who walk to school in violence-prone neighborhoods.

While bereavement, particularly the loss of a child, is a well-known risk factor for mental health in the short term, its long-term consequences on depressive mood in old age and across different welfare regimes have been investigated less. This study focused on the combined role of child loss and divorce on depressive symptoms, measured using the EURO-D scale in Central, Nordic, Southern, and Eastern European countries. We used data from the European SHARE project, covering 22,959 participants aged 50+ over a 16-year period. Using OLS regressions, we found that, compared to no child loss and no divorce, the association between depressive symptoms and child loss was significant (  = 0.22, 95% C.I. = [0.13, 0.30]), among both women and men. The absolute increase was even stronger when the mutual effect of child loss and divorce was considered (  = 0.34, 95% C.I. = [0.18, 0.48]). Employing Generalized Estimating Equations, we found that depressive symptoms related to divorce did not increase over time, regardless of past bereavement. Compared with people in the Nordic countries, those living in Southern Europe experienced more depressive symptoms related to child loss and no divorce, but fewer depressive symptoms related to the combined effect of child loss and divorce. In sum, our findings indicate that bereavement due to child loss may lead to more depressive symptoms among both women and men in old age, especially in combination with divorce. In the latter case, we posit that participants living in Southern European countries may be protected by higher levels of social support through family ties or informal social networks.

Empowerment research has largely focused on adult women with little focus on younger adolescents. Additionally, despite recognition that empowerment is a process, few studies have longitudinally explored its development.

We prospectively examined the association between structure, function, and quality of social relations and self-rated health (SRH) in U.S. adults followed over 10 years in the population-based National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP). Large social network and high positive/negative social support were measured at baseline and defined as the highest quartile. These three binary measures were reported from friends, family, and partner and combined into a multifactorial exposure variable. SRH was measured through a 5-point Likert scale and dichotomised. Odds ratios (OR) for poor SRH were estimated with covariate-adjusted logistic regression. In total, 1,592 participants were included. Based on the combined multifactorial exposure variable as well as independent exposure variables, only lower levels of negative social support were prospectively associated with better SRH (aOR = 0.65; 95%CI 0.44-0.98). From the different social ties, only family-related negative social support was associated with poor SRH (aOR = 0.59; 95%CI 0.39-0.90). This association was similar between genders, but only statistically significant among women. Sensitivity analysis with depressive symptoms as outcome supported the hypothesis that the findings for SRH may be partially driven by mental health (aOR = 0.65; 95%CI 0.48-0.90). Concluding, negative social support particularly from family is prospectively associated with poor SRH.

International migrants and their children represent increasing shares of the populations of major host countries and have growing potential to affect estimates of national mortality. Yet, while many studies have observed mortality differences between migrants, their children, and the majority population, few have progressed beyond this point to quantify the actual impact of these differences upon national life expectancy levels. Studies that have, reveal that migrants increasingly enhance national life expectancy, but do not progress beyond a single average generational effect. Here, using established demographic methods, we aim to quantify and unpack the impact of migrants and the children of migrants on national life expectancy in Sweden, with emphasis on potential differences by age, generations, and migration background. Going "against the grain" relative to other countries, we reveal an initial negative effect of first-generation migrants on national life expectancy levels in Sweden, followed by a gradual waning and disappearance of this effect over time. This change is attributable to the transformation in origin composition of Sweden's migrant population from migrants born in Nordic countries (that have higher mortality than the majority population) to migrants born in non-Western countries (that have lower mortality than the majority population), particularly at working ages. For children of migrants, nearly all ages and migrant backgrounds contribute to an increasingly negative effect on national life expectancy over time. The unique and disparate mortality risks of migrants, the children of migrants, and the majority population suggest a need to monitor their mortality separately so as to maximise potential future gains in national life expectancy in Sweden.

Mental health disorders are known to manifest differently in men and women, however our understanding of how gender interacts with mental health and well-being as a broader construct remains limited. Employment is a key determinant of mental health and there are historical differences in occupational roles among men and women that continue to influence working lives (Bonde, 2008; Cabezas-Rodríguez, Utzet, & Bacigalupe, 2021; Drolet, 2022; Gedikli, Miraglia, Connolly, Bryan, & Watson, 2023; Moyser, 2017; Niedhammer, Bertrais, & Witt, 2021; Stier & Yaish, 2014; Van der Doef & Maes, 1999). This study aims to explore differences in multidimensional mental health between men and women, and to quantify how these differences may change if women had the same employment characteristics as men.

In recent decades, the global population has aged rapidly while socioeconomic inequalities in health have widened, with older adults who are most disadvantaged experiencing the poorest health. Functional limitations are key predictors of disability and quality of life and are therefore considered an important measure of how well individuals and populations are aging. We determine if educational inequalities in functioning have widened over time and across countries.

Relative deprivation is a critical mechanism for understanding how income inequality affects mental health. However, few studies have compared the effects of objective and subjective relative deprivation on health outcomes. This study compared how objective and subjective relative deprivation and their interaction relate to human flourishing measures, including health, happiness, life satisfaction, social relationships, and financial stability.

Despite efforts to enhance public investment in Senegal's health sector, the equitable distribution of benefits between socioeconomic groups remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, our study examines the progressive (or regressive) nature of public health expenditure. Utilizing data from the latest survey on household living conditions (2018-2019) in conjunction with administrative data on health expenditure from the same period (provided by the Ministry of Health of Senegal), we performed a benefit incidence analysis. This entailed segmenting the population by poverty quintiles and subsequently estimating how each group utilized and benefitted from public health expenditure, according to level of care and geographical location. Additionally, we performed a marginal benefit analysis to discern the impact of an increase in public health expenditure on various socioeconomic groups. Our findings unveil a pro-rich distribution of benefits at both primary healthcare and hospital levels, observable both at national and regional levels. Moreover, disparities in the distribution of resource allocation between Senegal's 14 administrative regions were observed. Ultimately, our results indicate that under prevailing conditions, increasing public health expenditure would not yield a pro-poor distribution of benefits. Therefore, our research underscores the imperative of better targeting populations for greater equity between regions and social groups.

International sanctions are often imposed with the aim of influencing the political behavior of target states, but they may have unintended consequences on public health. This study empirically examines the impact of international sanctions on child immunization rates in developing countries. Utilizing panel data from 76 developing countries between 2000 and 2019, the analysis explores how different types of sanctions, including those from the US, EU, and UN, as well as economic and unilateral sanctions, affect the immunization rates for DPT, Hepatitis B, and Measles vaccines. The findings indicate that sanctions, particularly those imposed by the US and EU, significantly reduce vaccination rates, with economic and unilateral sanctions showing the most substantial negative impact. Additionally, the study highlights the moderating role of health spending, revealing that increased healthcare investment can mitigate some of the adverse effects of sanctions. Poorer developing countries are disproportionately affected compared to their more affluent counterparts. The results underscore the need for policymakers to consider the broader public health implications of sanctions and for international efforts to ensure that essential medical resources remain accessible in sanctioned countries. This study contributes to the literature by providing comprehensive empirical evidence on the detrimental effects of international sanctions on child immunization, advocating for a balanced approach that protects public health while achieving geopolitical objectives.

The theory of Effectively Maintained Inequality (EMI) (Lucas, 2001) posits that goods have both quantitative (how much?) and qualitative (what kind?) dimensions. Coupled with the hypothesized mechanisms of EMI, this simple observation greatly complicates research and policy development concerning inequality. First applied to explain educational inequality in the United States, evidence for the theory has been found in education systems in over 20 countries, including Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Nigeria, South Africa, and South Korea. Yet, while EMI was proposed as a general theory of inequality, to date no research has assessed its applicability to domains outside education. This work uses nearly two decades of National Health Interview Survey data (N = 451,161) to provide the first effort to assess whether EMI illuminates of inequality outside education, by taking up the issue of health insurance in the United States.

•Significant health inequities persist between and within countries, necessitating a paradigm shift in global health scholarship.•Building on the contributions global health experts, this article proposes four key considerations for reframing global health scholarship.•This requires deeper engagement with macrosocial drivers of health and the application of population health science principles.•An evolving field also necessitates innovation in data sources, multidisciplinary engagement, expanded analytical tools, and diverse global perspectives.

Child neglect is a significant social problem with severe consequences for individuals and society. This study explores how intergenerational transmission of grandparental child neglect affects grandchildren's mental health in adulthood. We utilize a three-generational dataset from the Tromsø Study and estimate a linear probability model to find the distinct roles of both maternal and paternal grandparents. We test the additive risk hypothesis for continuous, intergenerational effects of child neglect in both the maternal and paternal lineages. Furthermore, we use structural equation modeling to test how sequential exposures to neglect across generations ultimately bear on adult mental health outcomes. Our results confirm the additive risk hypothesis but only for maternal grandparents: our findings show that only maternal parents' neglectful parenting is associated with an increased probability of depression in their grandchildren, conditional on whether their parents neglected them. These results contribute to research on intergenerational transmission by the finding that additive risks of child maltreatment flow down generations mainly through maternal lineages.

•We use longitudinal data and FE-IV technique to identify causal effects of smartphone use on adolescent mental health.•We find that longer smartphone use causes increased depressive symptoms and higher suicidal ideation for girls, not for boys.•Social and active smartphone usage such as communicating with friends and family predicts lower depressive symptoms.•Personal history of depressive symptoms and the timing of puberty moderate the effect of SUT on depressive symptoms.•Addictive smartphone behavior is frequent among adolescents, and more prevalent among girls than boys.

In recent years, more attention has been given to cultural predictors of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) risk. Yet, research has overlooked the potential risk conferred by U.S. cultures of honor. There is ample reason to suspect that honor-oriented states are at greater risk for ADRD, as many of the characteristics of honor-oriented states are also risk factors for ADRD (e.g., rurality, economic precariousness) and norms within honor cultures (e.g., risk taking, military enlistment, intimate partner violence) may elevate the chance of experiencing neurocognitive ADRD risk factors, like traumatic brain injury (TBI) and subjective cognitive decline (SCD). The present work examined the extent to which statewide honor-orientation predicted estimates of unintentional TBI deaths (2001-2019), SCD (2015-2019), and ADRD deaths (1999-2019) among non-Hispanic Whites. We controlled for period-matched variables known to be associated with honor cultures and ADRD (e.g., rurality, economic precariousness). After controlling for covariates, we observed that more honor-oriented states had higher unintentional TBI death rates ( = 0.39,  = .016), SCD ( = 0.58,  = .001), and ADRD death rates ( = 0.49,  = .030). Findings suggest that the norms and values of honor cultures may confer higher risk for TBI, SCD, and ADRD. Implications for educational, identification, and intervention efforts are discussed.

To estimate the association between food needs and diabetes outcomes.