This paper examines how households adjusted their consumption behavior in response to COVID-19 infection risk during the early phase of the pandemic. We use a monthly consumption survey specifically designed by the German Statistical Office covering the second wave of COVID-19 infections from...

Patient selection remains a major challenge in evaluating hospital performance. We exploit the quasi-random assignment of patients to hospitals, based on a rotation schedule between hospitals in the Upper Austrian capital of Linz. In the instrumental variable (IV) framework, we use high-quality...

Background Foodborne disease is a great concern to low- and middle-income countries. To prevent illness and death, intervention strategies need to be implemented across the food safety system and should include promoting the adoption of safe food handling practices. The positive association...

The Colombian Ministry of Health's decision to increase the health insurance premium (Capitation Payment Unit) by 5.36% for 2025, close to the inflation rate, has sparked controversy. This adjustment disregards factors that contribute to rising healthcare costs, leading to concerns over the...

Background Obesity has become major public health problem around the world. Lifestyle interventions, Pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery are the common intervention to reduce weight in clinical practice. This study aims to conduct an economic evaluation of Duodenal-Jejunal Bypass Sleeve (DJBS)...

Background Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) prevalence rates are around 5-10% of school-aged children. We test whether medication use for ADHD decreases the likelihood of risky behaviour (sexual behaviour, alcohol, tobacco, and drug consumption) and injuries amongst children aged...

We propose a theoretical model to study individual lifestyle choices related to calorie intake and physical activity, depending on personal fitness level and body weight. The model builds on the rational eating literature and can generate a variety of behaviors that are consistent with the...

This paper uses restricted-access data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey to assess whether the sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax levied in Seattle in 2018 led to declines in body mass index (BMI) and the rate of obesity. We implement an event-study design which compares...

The consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in India leads to significant public health and economic challenges, with 1.6 million deaths and 49.3 million disability-adjusted life years lost annually. These products are major risk factors for noncommunicable...

Rahman et al. (2021) study the correlation between mental health and food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. They report that food insecurity increases in the sample and that this is associated with increased stress. This result is not reproducible from the author-provided...

Rahman et al. (2021) study the correlation between mental health and food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. They report that food insecurity increases in the sample and that this is associated with increased stress. This result is not reproducible from the author-provided...

We utilize region-day variation in actual vs. forecasted weather conditions (i.e. forecasting errors) to comprehensively investigate the effects of the first heat-health warning system in Japan. We find that heat alerts led to a 17% increase in heat stroke counts. An analysis of mechanisms...

In 2013, China introduced the ambitious Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (APPCAP) targeting ambient fine particle (PM2.5) pollution. Using panel data covering 239 countries and territories worldwide, from 2000 to 2019, I provide quasi-experimental estimates of nationwide...

In recent years, the actuarial literature involving machine learning in insurance pricing has flourished. However, most actuarial machine learning research focuses on property and casualty insurance, while using such techniques in health insurance is yet to be explored. In this paper, we discuss...

Obesity disease is a significant health issue and has affected millions of people worldwide. Identifying underlying reasons for the onset of obesity risk in its early stage has become challenging for medical practitioners. The growing volume of lifestyle data related to obesity has made it...

We study the effects of the largest adverse health shock in modern medicine - the 1918 influenza pandemic - on subsequent shifts in health-related attitudes and behavior and future-oriented policies. Our analysis builds upon self-digitized, individual-level death-register excerpts, vaccination...

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women worldwide, with the number of new cases predicted to increase to over three million and the number of deaths to one million per year, by 2040. To prevent breast cancer, there is now increasing demand for personalisation of breast...

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women worldwide, with the number of new cases predicted to increase to over three million and the number of deaths to one million per year, by 2040. To prevent breast cancer, there is now increasing demand for personalisation of breast...

This briefing quantifies the latest estimated impact on population health caused by long-term exposure to three key air pollutants: fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. The foreseen benefits of achieving improved air quality are also highlighted.

Background: Food delivery motorcyclists face unique risks that often lead to risky riding behaviors. Thailand, with one of the highest rates of motorcycle-related injuries and fatalities globally, has seen a surge in food delivery services following the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing the number...

Air pollution is the single most significant environmental health risk in the European Union, causing chronic disease and premature mortality. Some 300 000 premature deaths are caused by fine particulate matter annually in the EU, and the annual economic cost of air pollution is at least €330...