Particulate air pollution and metabolic risk factors: Which are more prone to cardiac mortality

Regional Inequality and Associated Factors of Emergency Medicine Beds Distribution in China

Objective: The regional inequality of emergency medicine beds distribution has a great impact on population health as well as the accessibility of emergency services. This study aimed to explore the regional inequality of emergency medicine bed distribution and its influencing factors. Methods: The Gini coefficient and health resource agglomeration were used to analyze the regional inequality of emergency medicine beds distribution by area from 2012 to 2021 in China. Grey correlation models were used to explore the factors influencing the regional inequality of emergency medicine beds distribution. Results: From 2012 to 2021, Gini coefficients of emergency medicine beds distribution by geographic in China showed a worsening trend, rising from 0.6229 to 0.6636. The average HRAD index was 3.43 in the east and 0.44 in the west. Population structure factors have the greatest influence on the regional inequality of emergency medicine beds distribution. Conclusion: Health resources allocation strategy only according to population size should be changed. In formulating policies for emergency medicine beds allocation should take into account population structure, financial structure of expenditure, the inequality of geographical distribution and so on.

Smoking Bans and Circulatory System Disease Mortality Reduction in Macao (China): Using GRA Models

This study evaluates the association between smoking rates and mortality from circulatory system diseases (CSD) after implementing a series of smoking bans in Macao (China). (1) Background: Macao phased in strict total smoking bans since 2012. During the past decade, smoking rates among Macao women have dropped by half. CSD mortalities in Macao also show a declining trend. (2) Method: Grey relational analysis (GRA) models were adopted to rank the importance of some key factors, such as income per capita, physician density, and smoking rates. Additionally, regressions were performed with the bootstrapping method. (3) Results: Overall, smoking rate was ranked as the most important factor affecting CSD mortality among the Macao population. It consistently remains the primary factor among Macao's female population. Each year, on average 5 CSD-caused deaths were avoided among every 100,000 women, equivalent to about 11.45% of the mean annual CSD mortality. (4) Conclusions: After the implementation of smoking bans in Macao, the decrease in smoking rate among women plays a primary role in the reduction in CSD mortality. To avoid excess CSD mortality due to smoking, Macao needs to continue to promote smoking cessation among the male population.