Browsing by Subject "Gesundheit"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8

Children’s health, human capital accumulation, and R&D-based economic growth
(2017) Baldanzi, Annarita; Bucci, Alberto; Prettner, Klaus
We analyze the effects of childrens health on human capital accumulation and on long-run economic growth. For this purpose we design an R&D-based growth model in which the stock of human capital of the next generation is determined by parental education and health investments. We show that i) there is a complementarity between education and health: if parents want to have better educated children, they also raise health investments and vice versa; ii) parental health investments exert an unambiguously positive effect on long-run economic growth, iii) faster population growth reduces long-run economic growth. These results are consistent with the empirical evidence for modern economies in the twentieth century.
Environmental and farm management effects on food nutrient concentrations and yields of East African staple food crops
(2021) Fischer, Sahrah; Cadisch, Georg
Hidden hunger affects two billion people worldwide, particularly children and pregnant women. Human health and well-being are dependent on the quality and quantity of food consumed, particularly of plant-based foods. Plants source their nutrients from the soil. Essential nutrients for both, plants and humans, therefore, predominantly originate from the soil. Very little is known about the influence of environmental factors (e.g. soil types and abiotic factors, such as weather), or farm management choices (e.g. fertilisation or agrobiodiversity), on nutrient concentrations of edible crop parts. The main aim of this thesis was, therefore, to analyse the effects of soil fertility, farm management, and abiotic factors such as drought, on the quantity (yields) and quality (nutrient concentrations) of essential macro- (Mg, P, S, K, Ca) and micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu), of the edible parts of three East African staple food crops, i.e. maize (Zea mays L.), cassava (Manihot esculenta} Crantz), and matooke (East African Highland Banana (Musa acuminata Colla)), and discuss the resulting implications for food and nutrition security. Two research areas were selected in East Africa, one with a high fertility soil (Kapchorwa, Uganda - Nitisol) and one with a low fertility soil (Teso South, Kenya – Ferralsol). In each region, 72 households were randomly selected, and leaf and edible crop parts, and soil samples collected on three fields per household, organised by distance (closest, mid-distance, and farthest field). Maize and cassava were collected in Teso South, maize and matooke were collected in Kapchorwa. Yields, fertilizer usage and species richness (SR) and diversity (SD) were recorded per field. The total nutrient concentrations were measured in all samples collected (soils and plant parts). A drought occurring in the second rain season of 2016 provided the opportunity to analyse water stress effects on crop quantity and quality (Chapter 2). Edible part samples and yields collected in both seasons were compared. Soil chemical and physical properties, together with farm management variables, were compared to edible part nutrient concentrations and yields using a Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) (Chapter 3). To understand the strength of association between the measurements routinely done by agronomists (leaf measurement) and nutritionists (edible part measurement), samples of each crop were collected, and were compared to each other and to yields, using a bivariate linear mixed model (Chapter 4). During the severe drought, nutrient concentrations in Kapchorwa decreased significantly from normal to drought season in both crops. In contrast, during the moderate drought in Teso South, nutrient concentrations increased significantly in both crops. Lacking nutrient phloem mobility is suggested to play a vital role in mobilisation of micronutrients (Fe, Mn, and Cu), as shown by their decreased concentration under severe drought in the yields of both crops in Kapchorwa (Chapter 2). Soil type had a very strong effect on food nutrient concentrations. Maize grain nutrient concentrations and yields, for example, were significantly higher for all nutrients measured on higher fertility soils. Maize grain had the highest correlations with soil factors. In contrast, corresponding correlations to management factors were much weaker (Chapter 3). Concerning the comparison of nutrient concentrations in different plant parts, low phloem mobile nutrients Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, and Cu showed the largest differences in correlations between leaves and edible parts. In the same comparison, perennial crops (matooke and cassava) showed lower correlations between leaves and edible parts, than annual crops (maize) (Chapter 4). Environmental factors, such as drought impacted food nutrient concentrations. Severe drought caused a potential “double-burden” for consumers, decreasing both yields and nutrient concentrations, particularly of micronutrients. Considering food nutrient concentrations, apart from yield, as response variables in agronomic trials (e.g. fertilisation or soil improvement strategies) would contribute towards discounting the notion that crops growing on fertile soils always produce healthy and high-quality foods. Leaves may provide information on plant health, however, do not provide enough information to gauge both yields and food quality, particularly regarding micronutrients. The results also showed that measuring the edible part is vital to assessing food quality, particularly due to the observed effects of nutrient mobility, affecting particularly micronutrients and Ca. Ending hunger and improving food and nutrition security for all, particularly when confronted with global change issues such as degrading soils and a changing climate, requires a collaborative effort by all disciplines concerned.
Essays on health and nutrition in China
(2015) Nie, Peng; Sousa-Poza, Alfonso
This dissertation aims to investigate several major socio-economic determinants of health and nutrition in China. By using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) spanning from 1991 to 2009, this enhances the understanding of the transition of health and nutrition with such unprecedented economic and social changes in China. This dissertation contains six chapters: more specifically, Chapter 1 gives a brief description of general background, research aim and also the outline. Then Chapter 2 examines the association between maternal employment and childhood obesity. Chapter 3 takes a comprehensive look at how income changes are related to calorie intake. Chapter 4 investigates the impacts of peers (one of most important aspects of social networks) on childhood and adolescent adiposity. Chapter 5 assesses the nexus between long work hours and health. Finally, Chapter 6 ends with some main conclusions and discussions. Chapter 2 analyses the alarming increase of overweight and obese children and considers the higher female employment participation in China. We analyze how maternal employment is correlated with childhood obesity in China. Our work makes a non-Western comparison in this field, which is useful as it is rather difficult to generalize the results (mostly significant positive association between maternal employment and childhood obesity) from related studies in the Western world. More importantly, we further explore how maternal employment is related to two key transmitters of obesity: diet and physical activities. We find no association of maternal employment and childhood adiposity. Moreover, maternal employment is also not associated with either diet or physical activity of children. However, our results are well consistent with some recent evidence in Europe (Greve, 2011; Gwozdz et al., 2013), supporting the evidence that maternal employment might not necessarily be detrimental to child adiposity. One tentative explanation is that, the major source of informal childcare in China is grandparents, who are more likely to provide childcare with a high quality. In Chapter 3, we provide an empirical analysis that looks at the association between income and calorie intake via a variety of parametric, nonparametric and semiparametric approaches. By means of panel data settings, we are capable of capturing time-invariant individual heterogeneity. It is worth noting that taking a close look at calorie-income elasticities is crucial and implicative of the effectiveness of income-mediated policies for food security in China. Our findings provide strong evidence that calorie-income elasticities are small, irrespective of using parametric, nonparametric, or semiparametric techniques. Furthermore, these elasticities remain small when taking nonlinearities into consideration, and also for sub-analysis for gender, individuals with differences in calorie intake or even impoverished households. Although calorie-income are small, our results are well in line with some prior studies (Bishop et al., 2010; Lu and Luhrmann, 2012; Shankar, 2010; Zhong et al., 2012), suggesting that households might be quite successful in maintaining calorie intake stable as income changes. Also note, despite the marked increase in income, the Chinese demand for better food quality, food diversity and food safety have amplified (Gale and Huang, 2007; Liu et al., 2013b), instead of an increased demand for calorie intakes. Chapter 4 takes a detailed look at how peer effects are associated with childhood and adolescent obesity in China. It expands the empirical work beyond the Western domain in light of different cultural backgrounds between individualistic and collective societies. Furthermore, it broadens the dominant front of adolescents and adults by analyzing children as well. Note that, understanding peer effects on childhood adiposity is of great significance primarily because, as emphasized by Dishion and Tipsord (2011), children’s consumption behaviors are influenced by their peers. More importantly, childhood adiposity could result in persistent adulthood overweight or obesity (Loh and Li, 2013). In addition, the use of self-perceived perceptions of body weight allows for an exploration of the relation between peer effects and individual perceptions of weight status, thereby providing insights into understanding pathways by which peer effects operate within a relatively broader environment. We provide further evidence that peer effects exist not only among adolescents, but also children, suggesting that the formation of health lifestyles associated with peers is important for young children. In addition, we find that the magnitudes of peer effects change greatly over the distribution of individual BMI and stronger effects are observable at the upper end than at the bottom or median. This finding implies that obese individuals are more vulnerable to peers. Furthermore, females are more susceptible compared to males, which mirrors some U.S studies among adolescents (see, for instance, Trogdon et al., 2008). More importantly, we find that community-level average peer BMI is associated with self-perceived bodyweight in adolescents, providing evidence that a higher average peer BMI is related to the probability of a self-assessed perception of overweigh, in particular, for adolescent girls. All in all, our results support the existence of peer effects on childhood and adolescent obesity, but the magnitudes fall within the broader range for the U.S. adolescent studies using similar specification to ours. Therefore, it implies that peer effects do not necessarily strengthen within a collectivistic society, like China, as in comparison to the counterparts of an individualistic society, like the U.S. In Chapter 5, we provide a comprehensive picture of how long work hours are related to health, using not only subjective but also objective measures. Also, it provides a valuable comparison with existing studies predominantly in the Western world. More importantly, it explores several potential mechanisms through which long work hours could impact upon one’s health. In particular, it investigates the relation between long work hours and specific lifestyles, such as sleep, diet (calorie and fat intakes, time spent food preparation and cooking), physical activities (sports participation and time spent on sedentary activities). Apart from a cross-sectional settings, it also adopts a panel analysis, which allows for controlling for unobserved individual heterogeneity. Because, to the best of our knowledge, the only three studies in China (Fritjers et al., 2009; Verité, 2004; Zhao, 2008) all investigate subjective measures of health via cross-sectional data. We reveal that working above 50 hours per week (31-40 hours per week as the comparison), increases the probability of suffering from high blood pressure, though the effects are relatively small. Also, self-evaluated health is poorer for individuals working long hours compared with those weekly working 31-40 hours, however the effect is not so strong. Eventually, long work hours have various impacts of different aspects of individual lifestyles. Specifically, we cannot find a positive correlation between long work hours and obesity. Nevertheless, long work hours seem to be related to a decreased fat intake and less time spent on sedentary activity like watching TV. But, long work hours decrease the probability of sports participation. In summary, we provide limited evidence that long work hours in China have deleterious influences on health or lifestyles. Therefore, further research needs to explore the potential impacts of long work hours on other health or lifestyle measures. References Bishop, J.A. Liu, H.Y. & Zheng, B.H. 2010. Rising incomes and nutritional inequality in China. . In: BISHOP, J. A. (ed.) Studies in Applied Welfare Analysis: Papers from the Third ECINEQ Meeting. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing. Dishion, T.J. & Tipsord, J.M. 2011. Peer contagion in child and adolescent social and emotional development. Annual Review of Psychology, 62, 189-214. Fritjers, P. Johnston, D.W. & Meng, X. 2009. The mental health cost of long working hours: the case of rural Chinese migrants. Mimeo. Greve, J. 2011. New results on the effect of maternal work hours on childrens overweight status: does the quality of child care matter? Labour Economics, 18(5), 579-590. Gwozdz, W. Sousa-Poza, A. Reisch, L.A. Ahrens, W. Henauw, S.D. Eiben, G. Fernandéz-Alvira, J.M. Hadjigeorgiou, C. De Henauw, S. Kovács, E. Lauria, F. Veidebaum, T. Williams, G. & Bammann, K. 2013. Maternal employment and childhood obesity - a European perspective. Journal of Health Economics, 32(4), 728-742. Gale, F. & Huang, K.S. 2007. Demand for food quantity and quality in China, Economic Research Report. No.32. Washington D.C. : US Department of Agriculture. Lu, L. & Luhrmann, M. 2012. The impact of Chinese income growth on nutritional outcomes. Available from Liu, R.D. Pieniak, Z. & Verbeke, W. 2013b. Consumers attitude and behaviour towards safe food in China: a review. Food Control, 33(1), 93-104. Loh, C.P. & Li, Q. 2013. Peer effects in adolescent bodyweight: evidence from rural China. Social Science & Medicine, 86, 35-44. Shankar, B. 2010. Socio-economic drivers of overnutrition in China. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 23(5), 471-479. Trogdon, J.G. Nonnemaker, J. & Pais, J. 2008. Peer effects in adolescent overweight. Journal of Health Economics, 27(5), 1388-99. Verité 2004. Excessive overtime in Chinese supplier factories: causes, impacts and recommendations for action. Verité Research Paper, Amherst, Massachusetts. Zhong, F.N. Xiang, J. & Zhu, J. 2012. Impact of demographic dynamics on food consumption: a case study of energy intake in China. China Economic Review, 23(4), 1011-1019. Zhao, Z. 2008. Health demand and health determinants in China. Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, 6(1), 77-98.
Fuel for life : domestic cooking fuels and women’s health in rural China?
(2016) Xue, Jianhong; Sousa-Poza, Alfonso; Nie, Peng
Using longitudinal and biomarker data from the China Family Panel Studies and the China Health and Nutrition Survey, this study examines the association between the type of domestic cooking fuel and the health of women aged ≥16 in rural China. Regarding three major domestic cooking fuels (wood/straw, coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG)), we find that, compared to women whose households cook with dirty fuels like wood/straw, women whose households cook with cleaner fuels like LNG have a significantly lower probability of chronic or acute diseases and are more likely to report better health. Even after controlling for unobserved individual heterogeneity, we find some evidence that women in households cooking with LNG are less likely to suffer from chronic/acute diseases. Cooking with domestic coal instead of wood or straw is also associated with elevated levels of having certain risks (such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure) related to cardiovascular diseases.
Incomes and asset poverty dynamics and child health among pastoralists in Northern Kenya
(2016) Mburu, Samuel; Sousa-Poza, Alfonso
In chapter one we identified the levels, sources, and trends of household incomes across the five survey waves. We also estimated and compared the income and asset poverty levels. Income poverty was estimated using imputed household income relative to the adjusted poverty line and asset poverty using a regression-based asset index and tropical livestock units (TLU) per capita. Our results indicate that keeping livestock is still the pastoralists’ main source of livelihood, although there is a notable trend of increasing livelihood diversification, especially among livestock-poor households. Majority of the households (over 70%) are both income and livestock poor with few having escaped poverty within the five-year study period. Disaggregating income and asset poverty also reveals an increasing trend of both structurally poor and stochastically non-poor households. The findings show that the TLU-based asset poverty is a more appropriate measure of asset poverty in a pastoral setting. In chapter two we explored the household welfare dynamics among pastoral households in the study area. First, we developed a microeconomic model to analyze the impact of a shock (e.g., a drought) on the behavioral decisions of pastoralists. Secondly, we estimated the existence of single or multiple dynamic equilibria that may constitute an asset poverty trap. We used the tropical livestock units (TLUs) to establish the shape of asset dynamics to locate the welfare equilibria for the sampled households. We also estimated the household characteristics and covariate environmental factors that influence livestock accumulation over time. We use both non-parametric and semi-parametric techniques to establish the shape of asset accumulation path and determine whether multiple equilibria exist. From the model, we found that a negative shock like a drought leads to an immediate decrease in livestock followed by a smooth reduction in consumption. Because the shock also affects the local economy, it prompts a wage decrease, which reinforces the pastoralist’s incentives to tend his own livestock and reduce time spent in the external labor market. Whereas the pastoralist’s labor time allocation shows a pattern of quick convergence, however, the adjustment of other variables such as consumption and capital takes much longer. Food aid helps in smoothening consumption especially among households with few livestock. We established that livestock assets converge to a single stable equilibrium implying that households remained livestock poor in the short term. Such convergence to a stable equilibrium could result from households with more livestock smoothening their consumption during times of food shortage by drawing on their herds for sale or consumption while livestock poor households smoothen their assets by using coping strategies that do not deplete their few livestock holdings. Poor households thus destabilized their consumption to buffer and protect their few assets for future income and survival. We also found that forage availability and herd diversity influenced livestock accumulation over time. In chapter three we established the extent of malnutrition among children by analyzing the levels of malnutrition among children aged five years and below. Additionally, we estimated the effects of drought, measured by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), on child health outcomes. When the lack of sufficient rainfall reduces the levels of vegetative greenness, the corresponding lower NDVI values indicate forage scarcity. We followed the approach by Chantarat et al. (2012) and transformed the pure NDVI values to z-scores. We used the average NDVI Z-score values from long dry season (June, July, August, and September) for each survey year, extracted from four regions within Marsabit District. We then proxied the nutritional status of children using the mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). We adjusted the MUAC for the age and sex of the child by converting the values to a MUAC Z-score based on WHO growth charts, as Z-scores are found to be better indicators of wasting than the fixed cut-off value (WHO 2009). The results show that malnutrition among children is prevalent in the study area, with approximately 20% of the children being malnourished and a one standard deviation increase in NDVI z-score decreases the probability of child malnourishment by 12–16 percent. The livestock insurance seems to be an effective risk management tool, as it slightly reduces the probability of malnutrition among children. Child health is also impacted by local conditions and family characteristics, which leave older children worse off than younger siblings who are still being breastfed or receive better care. In the most vulnerable households, boys are worse off than girls. At the same time, male-headed households tend to have healthier children, while family size is negatively associated with child MUAC. To reduce the effects of drought on child malnutrition, the targeting of food aid beneficiaries is crucial, and the use of remote sensing data could improve the effectiveness of these interventions. In chapter four we sought to understand the levels of school enrolment and gender differences in schooling given the challenges of accessibility to schools in the pastoral areas. First, we established levels of school enrolment by gender. Secondly, we estimated the effect of herd migration on school attendance and thirdly we gathered the community perceptions about challenges that school going children face and how they can be addressed. We used both household panel data for children aged between 6 and 15 years and community data obtained from some focus group discussions. Results showed that the effect of herd migration on school attendance is significant and negative: once other factors are controlled for, the predicted probability of child failure to attend school is 26% for households that migrate their livestock. On the other hand, attendance is positively impacted by the educational level of both the household head and his spouse. The analysis of survey data indicates that over the five years studied, school enrollment increased for both boys and girls, averaging 63.6% and 69.0%, respectively, in 2013. During the same period, the school dropout rate was quite low (less than 10%) although still higher among boys than among girls. The mean schooling efficiency (relative grade attained) was 0.67, which implies inefficiency in grade progression. Girls were better off than boys in terms of both grade attainment and staying in school, while children from more educated families showed a higher schooling efficiency than those from less educated families. At the same time, boys are less likely to attend school than girls, probably, the FGD participants confirmed, because boys engage in more economically valued activities like herding, which raises the opportunity costs of their absence for school. Girls, in contrast, engaged mostly in nonmonetizable household duties. Nevertheless, as key barriers to school attendance, the participants identified too few schools, nomadism and communal conflicts.
Measuring grazing behaviour of dairy cows : validation of sensor technologies and assessing application potential in intensive pasture-based milk production systems
(2019) Werner, Jessica; Schick, Matthias
Grazing is the natural feed intake behaviour of a cow. However, in the last century, intensive confinement systems with silage feeding and concentrate supplementation have replaced many extensive pasture-based milk production systems. Grazed grass is now acknowledged as the cheapest feed available as a consequence of rising machinery, labour and feeding costs. Thus there is a renewed interest in intensive pasture-based milking systems. In addition, policy objectives, societal expectations and environmental concerns have all supported reconsiderations for pasture-based milk production. Novel technology to aid measuring and managing grassland and cow grazing behaviour have the potential to facilitate improved performance. Until recently, sensor technologies for dairy farms were mainly developed for measuring feeding behaviour of housed cows. Adapting and calibrating these technologies to grazing context would therefore further support improved pasture-based dairying. In this thesis, two sensor technologies were validated against visual observation. The RumiWatch noseband sensor (Itin+Hoch, Switzerland) is a high precision technology designed for research applications. It can measure detailed grazing behaviour such as grazing bites, rumination chews, time spent grazing and time spent ruminating. The MooMonitor+ (Dairymaster, Ireland) is the second technology assessed in this thesis. It is a collar based accelerometer and is primarily designed for use on commercial farms. The initial development was for oestrus detection. It can now monitor grazing and rumination times. The results of the studies reported in this thesis revealed that both sensors were highly accurate compared to visual observation. The implementation of sensor technology on commercial dairy farms is still slow. This is especially true on pasture-based dairy systems. The management of grazing cows is thus largely not supported by technology. With increasing herd sizes and skilled labour shortages, sensor technology to support grazing management will likely improve some major dairy farm management challenges. A key factor in pasture-based milk production is the correct grass allocation to maximize the grass utilization per cow. Cow behaviour is indicative of the quantity and quality of feed available as well as animal performance, health and welfare. Thus, the measurement of cow grazing behaviour is an important management indicator. A further study of detailed individual grazing behaviour aimed to identify behavioural indicators of restricted versus sufficient availability of grass. Such objective measurement has potential since currently grass allocation is based on subjective eye measurements and calculations per herd. To identify behavioural indicators, a group of 30 cows in total were allocated a restricted pasture allowance of 60 % of their intake capacity. Their behavioural characteristics were compared to those of 10 cows with pasture allowance of 100 % of their intake capacity. The grazing behaviour and activity of cows was measured using the RumiWatchSystem, consisting of the noseband sensor and pedometer. The results showed that bite frequency was continuously higher for cows with a restricted grass allocation, but also rumination behaviour was affected by the restriction. This study contributes vital information towards developing a decision support tool for automated allocation of grass based on feedback from individual cows rather than herd based measurements. Further research activities should focus on identification of significant changes in grazing behaviour of cows at individual animal and herd level. This would allow implementation of specific thresholds to be used in decision support tools. After developing and validating the decision support tools, the application of automated solutions for grazing management can improve efficiency and productivity of pasture-based milk production systems.
Navigating work 4.0 : the intricacies of digital work, job outcomes and individual differences by examples of Baden-Wuerttemberg’s public administration
(2023) Käsmayr, Julia; Steidle, Anna
This dissertation, rooted in the VerDi project (digitalization of administration, German: VerwaltungsDigitalisierung), explores the broader impact of digitalization on administrative action in Baden-Wuerttembergs public administration. Adopting an interdisciplinary, individual-centric approach, it divides into two areas across seven manuscripts: 1) digital work (manuscripts 1-4) and 2) individual differences linked to digital work (manuscripts 5-7). The study introduces an original conceptual framework and the Digital Administrative Work (DiVa) questionnaire, designed to measure digital technology use. DiVa undergoes rigorous statistical refinement. From a multi-stakeholder perspective, the research offers an understanding of Good Administration essential for evaluating performance. The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model is adapted to align with modern digital administrative action. Beyond VerDi, the dissertation delves into individual differences (Integrative Digital Agency (IDA)), enhancing job engagement and commitment. The IDA model underscores individual digital competence and affinity. The role of IDA in personnel development and selection is examined, spotlighting strategies to enhance digital skills. Employing a multifaceted methodological approach and robust statistical techniques, the dissertation stands as a notable contribution to behavioral public administration, emphasizing thorough, individual-centric interdisciplinary researchs relevance to both public and corporate sectors.
Work hours constraints and health
(2011) Sousa-Poza, Alfonso; Otterbach, Steffen; Bell, David
The issue of whether employees who work more hours than they want to suffer adverse health consequences is important not only at the individual level but also for governmental formation of work time policy. Our study investigates this question by analyzing the impact of the discrepancy between actual and desired work hours on self-perceived health outcomes in Germany and the United Kingdom. Based on nationally representative longitudinal data, our results show that work-hour mismatches (i.e., differences between actual and desired hours) have negative effects on workers´ health. In particular, we show that ?overemployment? ? working more hours than desired - has negative effects on different measures of self-perceived health.