Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26179643›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2015

The inter-relationship among economic activities, environmental degradation, material consumption and population health in low-income countries: a longitudinal ecological study.

Ying-Chih Chuang, Ya-Li Huang, Ching-Yao Hu, Ssm-Ching Chen, Kuo-Chien Tseng

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Ying-Chih ChuangSchool of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Ya-Li HuangDepartment of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Ching-Yao HuSchool of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Ssm-Ching ChenSchool of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Kuo-Chien TsengSchool of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, Taiwan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe theory of ecological unequal exchange explains how trade and various forms of economic activity create the problem of environmental degradation, and lead to the deterioration of population health. Based on this theory, our study examined the inter-relationship among economic characteristics, ecological footprints, CO2 emissions, infant mortality rates and under-5 mortality rates in low-income countries.

designA longitudinal ecological study design.

settingSixty-six low-income countries from 1980 to 2010 were included in the analyses. Data for each country represented an average of 23 years (N=1497). DATA SOURCES: Data were from the World Development Indicators, UN Commodity Trade Statistics Database, Global Footprint Network and Polity IV Project. ANALYSES: Linear mixed models with a spatial power covariance structure and a correlation that decreased over time were constructed to accommodate the repeated measures. Statistical analyses were conducted separately by sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and other regions.

resultsAfter controlling for country-level sociodemographic characteristics, debt and manufacturing, economic activities were positively associated with infant mortality rates and under-5 mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa. By contrast, export intensity and foreign investment were beneficial for reducing infant and under-5 mortality rates in Latin America and other regions. Although the ecological footprints and CO2 emissions did not mediate the relationship between economic characteristics and health outcomes, export intensity increased CO2 emissions, but reduced the ecological footprints in sub-Saharan Africa. By contrast, in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, although export intensity was positively associated with the ecological footprints and also CO2 emissions, the percentage of exports to high-income countries was negatively associated with the ecological footprints.

conclusionsThis study suggested that environmental protection and economic development are important for reducing infant and under-5 mortality rates in low-income countries.

Indexed as

Developing CountriesEnvironmentPoliticsAfrica South of the SaharaHumansInfantInfant MortalityInfant, NewbornLatin AmericaLinear ModelsLongitudinal StudiesOutcome Assessment, Health CarePovertySocioeconomic FactorsSOCIAL MEDICINE

Identifiers

PMID26179643
PMCPMC4513441

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.