How Does Public Health Investment Affect Subjective Well-Being? Empirical Evidence from China

Comparing Life Expectancy Determinants Between Indonesia and Oman from 1980 to 2020

Life expectancy (LE) is a health indicator of a population's health and well-being. Modeling the trajectory of LE aligns with the objectives of Indonesia's Vision 2045 and Oman's Vision 2040. This study examines the influence of health status-resources (HSR), macroeconomic (ME), and sociodemographic (SD) factors on LE in Indonesia and Oman. These two nations navigate the challenges of the middle-income trap in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. This study adopted a national-scale population-based approach that focuses on retrospective observations. We used partial least square structural equation models with World Bank data from 1980 to 2020 to analyze the relationship between the mentioned factors and the LE of Oman and Indonesia. For Indonesia's model, the results showed that ME has a total effect of β = 0.737 (p < 0.05) on LE, SD has a total effect of β = 0.675 (p < 0.05) on LE, and HSR has a total effect of β = 0.823 (p < 0.05) on LE. In Oman's model, ME has a total effect of β = 0.848 (p < 0.05) on LE, SD has a total effect of β = 0.755 (p < 0.05) on LE, and HSR has a total effect of β = 0.335 (p < 0.05) on LE. The findings underscore the need for policies that meld health and societal perspectives to improve public health in both nations. A shift in public health interventions and perceptions towards socioeconomic well-being and societal issues is pivotal for advancing LE growth, potentially steering these countries from the middle-income trap.

Scoping review of happiness and well-being measurement: uses and implications for paediatric surgery in low- and middle-income contexts

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to map and compare existing methodologies for creating happiness and well-being indices and examine their application to paediatric surgical interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

DESIGN

A scoping review methodology was used based on the guidelines published by the Joanna Briggs Institute and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews.

DATA SOURCES

Literature was sourced from PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar, supplemented by references from relevant studies.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Studies were selected based on relevance to LMIC settings, paediatric surgery and well-being or happiness outcomes. Inclusion criteria covered research on paediatric surgical interventions, well-being measures, happiness indices and studies on specific conditions impacting child well-being in LMICs. Exclusions applied to non-English studies, those with unclear methods, undefined well-being concepts, a focus on socioeconomic indices, surgical techniques over outcomes or those published before 2000. Eligible sources included research articles, review articles and technical reports.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Two reviewers independently extracted data, including study characteristics, populations, methodologies and key findings. The data were organised in an Excel spreadsheet for clarity and accuracy. A total of 51 sources were initially identified, with 28 included in the final review.

RESULTS

The review revealed a broad range of well-being measurement techniques, from national population-level indices to health-related quality-of-life measures. A key finding was the strong reciprocal relationship between subjective well-being and physical health: subjective well-being impacts health outcomes, while health outcomes influence subjective well-being. However, the lack of standardised methods for assessing well-being postsurgery, particularly in LMICs, leads to inconsistent and fragmented data that complicate resource allocation and comparisons between interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

This review highlights the importance of integrating comprehensive well-being measures, particularly subjective assessments, into paediatric surgical contexts within LMICs. Such integration is critical to enhance global health interventions and capture the broader impacts of surgical care on well-being and happiness.

A novel approach to prioritizing health technology investments using integrated AI-based ranking model

PURPOSE

Health technologies are an issue that directly affects the sustainability and quality of health services. Due to budget constraints, it is not financially possible for businesses to apply comprehensive improvement strategies to all these criteria. In this case, it is possible for businesses to implement more priority strategies. Accordingly, the main purpose of this study is to evaluate the important performance indicators of health technology investments.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Firstly, with the help of the artificial intelligence system, a decision matrix is established. Secondly, spherical fuzzy total order of preference decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory methodology is taken into consideration for weighting the criteria. Thirdly, emerging seven countries are ranked by using spherical fuzzy MultiAtributive Ideal-Real Comparative Analysis (MAIRCA).

FINDINGS

The findings demonstrate that the criteria of health policies and research and development are defined as the most significant factor in this regard. China and Turkey are also found to be the most successful emerging countries with respect to the performance of health technology investments.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

The main contribution of this study is that a novel decision-making model is generated by integrating artificial methodology into the spherical fuzzy sets.

Household health expenditure does not improve people's subjective well-being in China

Introduction

Household health expenditure plays a crucial role in the daily spending of individuals. Meanwhile, the attention of the public to subjective well-being (SWB) is constantly increasing in China. Household health expenditure could reduce real family income, harming personal SWB. However, the aim of household health expenditure is to improve the physical condition of an individual, and improvements in individual health could enhance personal SWB. Therefore, the effect of household health expenditure on personal SWB is uncertain; hence, it is essential to assess the effects of household health expenditure on the SWB of Chinese residents.

Methods

The Chinese family panel studies database from 2016 to 2020 was applied in this study. A fixed effects model was used to examine the impact of household medical and health protection expenses on personal SWB. Fixed effects instrumental variable regression and propensity score matching were then used to conduct robustness testing.

Results

On the basis of a fixed effects model, it was found that household medical and health protection expenditure did not improve the happiness and life satisfaction of individuals; rather, household health protection expenditure could significantly reduce personal happiness. Fixed effects instrumental variable regression and propensity score matching analysis supported these results. Household health protection expenditure had a greater negative impact on the happiness and life satisfaction of females compared with males.

Conclusion

Household health expenditure does not improve the SWB of individuals in China; this has certain significance for the formulation of relevant policies.

The Role of Subjective Wellbeing in Mediating Social Trust to the Mental Health of Health Workers

Mental health problems of health workers are attracting increasing concerns in China and the world. A trustful relationship between health workers and patients is the foundation of quality patient care, which is currently under serious threat. This study aimed to determine the associations of social trust on subjective wellbeing and mental health of health workers. Using the survey data of 262 health workers extracted from the 2018 Chinese Family Panel Studies, a structural equation model with partial least square approach was established. The results showed that social trust was linked to both subjective wellbeing (β = 0.251, p < 0.01) and mental health (β = -0.210, p < 0.01). The effect of social trust on mental health was partially mediated by subjective wellbeing (51.87%). The association between social trust and subjective wellbeing was moderated by socioeconomic status: social trust has a stronger effect on subjective wellbeing in those with higher socioeconomic status. Erosion of social trust may present a serious risk to mental health and subjective wellbeing of health workers. High socioeconomic status can amplify the effect of social trust.

Primary medical and health preparedness and people's life satisfaction in China: The mediating role of satisfaction with medical and health services

Objective

To examine the association between primary medical and health preparedness (PMHP), satisfaction with medical and health services (SMHS), and life satisfaction (LS).

Methods

Using the latest national representative data from the 2019 Chinese Social Survey and the 2018 Health Statistics Yearbook for each province in China, we conducted multi-level models to test the effect of three aspects of PMHP (the number of primary medical and health institutions (PMHIs), the number of beds in PMHIs, and the number of staff in PMHIs) on LS, and the mediation role of SMHS in this effect.

Results

The number of staff in PMHIs has a significant positive effect on people's LS. Besides, this effect is mediated completely by SMHS. However, the number of PMHIs and the number of beds in PMHIs do not affect LS significantly.

Conclusions

PMHP has a positive impact on LS, but this impact is associated only with the number of staff in PMHIs. Therefore, governments should focus on optimizing human resources in PMHIs to meet the LS needs of individuals.

Relationship between subjective well-being and depressive disorders: Novel findings of cohort variations and demographic heterogeneities

This paper uses a large-scale nationally representative dataset, the Chinese General Social Survey, to examine the relationship between subjective well-being and depressive disorders. Statistical results indicate that higher levels of subjective well-being help decrease perceived depression. Robustness checks are carried out using different types of explanatory and dependent variables, various regression models, penalized machine learning methods, instrumental variable approaches, and placebo tests, all of which lend further credence to the above findings. Based on it, heterogeneities in the relationship between subjective well-being and self-rated mental disorders are explored. In respect of variations in age cohorts, it is found that the absolute values of happiness's estimated coefficients are smaller in the 20-30 and 30-40 age groups, while that in the 40-50 age group increase substantially. In older cohorts, the estimates remain at higher levels while fluctuating to some degree. Furthermore, the significantly negative interaction between happiness and age proves that age amplifies subjective well-being's effect on perceived depressive disorders. With age increasing, the impact of happiness on reducing perceived depression tends to be stronger. Therefore, for older people, subjective well-being plays a more important role in suppressing self-rated depression. Heterogeneities of the relationship between happiness and perceived depressive disorders in subgroups with different demographic characteristics are also investigated. It is found that the negative correlation between subjective well-being and self-rated depression is stronger among those with higher educational levels, living in urban areas, being members of the Communist Party of China, having pensions, and owning more housing assets. However, gender, ethnic identity, religious belief, and marital status exert no significant moderating effects.

Empirical Analysis of Population Urbanization and Residents’ Life Satisfaction—Based on 2017 CGSS

As the greatest potential of domestic demand, new urbanization shoulders the important mission of improving the living standards of residents. Based on the theory of exploitation, this paper systematically established the theoretical relationships among population urbanization rate, human capital, family capital, and life satisfaction. Through the 2017 China Comprehensive Social Survey of 1940 micro-individuals for empirical analysis, the results show that: (1) the urbanization rate of the core explanatory variable has a significant and robust positive effect on individual life satisfaction and on human capital and family capital; (2) the urbanization rate of the core explanatory variable has a significant positive effect on human capital and family capital; (3) human capital and family capital have significant positive effects on life satisfaction; (4) in the heterogeneity discussion, the male capital accumulation is higher than the female, but life satisfaction is the opposite. With the increase in age, the individuals accumulated the highest human capital and family capital in 26–34 years old and reached the peak in life satisfaction after retirement in 60–83 years old. As far as regional differences are concerned, individual human capital, family capital, and life satisfaction are decreasing from the east to the west. The results of the study will help to establish a healthy and perfect regional urbanization and to enhance the mental health of residents by promoting talent development and advocating family-friendly construction.