Suchergebnisse

This study addresses for the first time in Greece the issue of levels and patterns of mortality among natives and immigrants, using vital statistics and census data by citizenship. Life tables are constructed for the two most numerous communities, Albanians and Bulgarians as well as for all immigrant populations combined; standardized mortality ratios are estimated for smaller migrant groups. Albanian males have a slight mortality advantage compared to natives; all other groups experience higher mortality. Some support for the "selectivity of migrants" hypothesis is provided as immigrants in several cases have significantly lower mortality compared to their countries of origin. Implications for public health policy in Greece are discussed.

SummaryThis study aimed to assess the relative importance of childhood and adulthood socioeconomic position (SEP) on the self-rated health (SRH) of men and women aged 50 or higher in Europe, controlling for a substantial number of mediators and health conditions. Data from Wave 2 (current data) and Wave 3 (retrospective material) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) were combined (N=20,829) and logistic regression models applied; the analysis was carried out for males and females separately. The findings indicate that concurrent and past SEP, when considered separately, are both very significant predictors of SRH. When all factors were included in a comprehensive model most childhood and adult SEP variables retained their significance, implying that both types of socioeconomic circumstances have a strong and independent effect on SRH. However, the relative importance of several childhood indicators was reduced, signifying that their effect on SRH is mediated by adult SEP and, especially, educational attainment. Some childhood predictors, such as having experienced a period of hunger, remained very significant. Though these findings roughly hold for both sexes, the relative effects differentiate by sex. Current SEP is more important among women, with the exception of income and 'making ends meet in the household'. Childhood SEP indicators are more significant among men.

SummaryIdentification of modifiable factors and mediators linked to low and heavy birth weight is crucial in reducing infant mortality and health care expenditure. The present paper explores the associations of socio-demographic factors and immigrant status of parents with adverse pregnancy outcomes in Hong Kong. The analysis compares very low birth weight (VLBW: <1500 g), low birth weight (LBW: ≥1500 g and <2500 g) and heavy birth weight births (HBW: ≥4500 g) with births of normal weight (≥2500 g and <4500 g) using multinomial regression modelling of a large dataset of 828,975 births of singletons occurring between 1995 and 2009. The findings indicate the expected significant adverse associations between teenage and advanced age of the mother with compromised birth outcomes; teenage motherhood, however, has a protective effect against HBW births. A strong socioeconomic gradient is apparent, more marked among LBW births; low educational attainment of the father, low occupational class, public housing and single motherhood are strongly related to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Regarding immigrant status, women born in South and South-East Asia exhibit consistently higher odds of a compromised outcome. Women born in Hong Kong have significantly higher chances of LBW births while Mainland Chinese and parents from developed countries face higher odds of HBW births. The study identifies high-risk groups such as teenage, older and single mothers, South-East Asians and couples of low socioeconomic profile. Implementation of policies supporting these groups would be beneficial.

SummaryThe present study aims at modelling the effects of maternal socio-demographic characteristics on the birth weight distribution in Greece. The analysis is based on nationwide vital registration micro-data; 103,266 single live births recorded in 2006 are considered. Quantile regression models, allowing for the effects of covariates to vary across the conditional distribution of the dependent variable, birth weight, are applied to preterm and term births separately. The statistical analysis shows that the effects of most factors differentiate across the birth weight distributions. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) coefficients, on the other hand, systematically underestimate effects at the lower tail and overestimate effects among heavier babies. Hence, quantile regression has a strong advantage over the OLS method. The findings also indicate that birth weight distributions of term and preterm infants are distinct and should be analysed separately. For both distributions female sex, primiparity, age of mother over 35 and prior history of stillbirths and child deaths are related to lower birth weight while higher educational attainment has a protective effect. Among term births, illegitimacy, living in big metropolitan areas and immigrant status of the mother are also significant predictors. For preterm births the impact of age of mother, parity and, in particular, prior stillbirths or deceased children is very pronounced.

SummaryThe present study makes use of nationwide individual-level vital registration data on the single live births occurring in Greece in 2006 to explore associations of socio-demographic factors with adverse pregnancy outcomes, using multinomial logistic regression models. The findings indicate that important risk factors associated with low birth weight preterm and intra-uterine growth retarded births (IUGR) include female sex, primiparity, age of mother over 35, illegitimacy and prior history of stillbirths, infant and child deaths. These constitute risk factors for normal weight preterm births as well, though associations with sex and primiparity in this case point to the opposite direction. Residing in large metropolitan areas is related to a greater risk of an IUGR birth. Among Greek women, educational attainment has a protective effect while housewife status is linked to higher chances of an IUGR birth. For immigrant mothers however, the opposite holds. The study also shows that normal weight preterm births form a distinct group.

SummaryThis study uses micro-level information on the live births registered in Greece for 2006 to assess differentials in the propensity to have a male offspring between natives and immigrants. The sex ratio at birth for the whole population is 106.3 but it is considerably higher among immigrants (110.9) than among natives (105.4). Relatively high sex ratios at birth are observed for several migrant groups; differentials between natives, on the one hand, and Albanians (109.5) and Asians (129.0), on the other, are significant. The high sex ratio at birth for Albanians seems typical of that population. For Asians, the result is consistent with international findings though it may also be partly related to the small number of observations.

Childcare provision in the UK has evolved alongside the expansion of mothers' employment, transforming the experiences of successive generations. This paper reviews some mixed evidence on child outcomes of maternal employment and offers a detailed examination of the working mothers' use of childcare. In particular, it looks at the differential use of formal and informal childcare provision using the first survey of the Millennium Cohort Study, which is compared, as far as possible, with evidence from the earlier birth cohort studies in 1970 and 1958. The affordability and trustworthiness of formal childcare remains a constraint on its use and indirectly on labour supply for some mothers.

The relationship between moving home, family structure and children's well‐being, is examined in the National Child Development Study (NCDS) Second‐Generation. Well‐being is measured as attainment in maths and reading, and on two behavioural assessments. Multivariate multi‐level modelling allows for heterogeneity both within and between families. We find little to no association between moving home and children's well‐being. Associations between family living arrangements and children's development appear to be mediated by human, financial and social capital, but not, on average, worsened by geographical mobility. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The aim of this paper is to examine empirically the impact of the demographic structure and socio-economic environment on the Covid-19 mortality rate across 29 European countries. The analysis is based on empirical data recorded cumulatively from the start of the Covid-19 disease until 26th May 2020 covering 'the first wave of the pandemic'. Results indicate that, although countries with a higher degree of ageing structure are anticipated to be more vulnerable to Covid-19, this study provides evidence that population ageing contributes only marginally to Covid-19 death rates across Europe. Urbanization, the level of economic development and health care systems, seem to better explain patterns of interstate mortality rates. The analysis provides important policy implications since it underlines the importance of urbanization and socio-economic conditions in the accelerating incidence of casualties and signifies the importance of health care systems for the protection of people and places from the pandemic.

L'objectif de l'étude est d'évaluer la contribution de la fécondité des femmes étrangères à la fécondité générale à partir du cas grec entre 2004 et 2012. Plus précisément, il s'agit d'estimer la contribution respective du comportement de fécondité des femmes étrangères et de leur part dans chaque groupe d'âges de la population féminine, à la fécondité de la Grèce. Les taux de fécondité par âge et les indices conjoncturels de fécondité (ICF) sont calculés pour les femmes étrangères et les natives (femmes nées en Grèce de parents grecs) à partir d'estimations de la population et des statistiques de l'état civil des naissances. La fécondité des étrangères est largement supérieure à celle des natives pour toutes les années, mais les tendances sont similaires pour les deux groupes. Au cours de la période considérée, l'effet combiné de la fécondité des étrangères et de la part qu'elles représentent dans la population entraîne une hausse de l'ICF comprise entre 0,06 (+ 4,4 %) et 0,14 enfant par femme (+ 9,3 %). La contribution des étrangères à l'évolution dans le temps de la fécondité générale est en revanche plus marquée. Au total, les effets de composition ne jouent qu'un rôle mineur et le principal facteur à l'œuvre dans les variations de la fécondité est le comportement reproductif.