Browsing by Author "Perelman, Julian"
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- Excess winter mortality and morbidity before, during, and after the Great Recession: the Portuguese casePublication . Almendra, Ricardo; Perelman, Julian; Vasconcelos, João; Santana, PaulaAlthough winter mortality and morbidity are phenomena common to most European countries, their magnitude varies significantly from country to country. The geographical disparities among regions with similar climates are the result of several social, economic, demographic, and biological conditions that influence an individual’s vulnerability to winter conditions. The impact of poor socioeconomic conditions may be of such magnitude that an economic recession may aggravate the seasonal mortality pattern. This paper aims to measure the seasonal winter mortality, morbidity, and their related costs during the Great Recession (2009–2012) in mainland Portugal and its Regional Health Administrations (RHAs) and to compare it with the periods preceding and following it. Monthly mortality and morbidity data were collected and clustered into three periods: Great Recession (2009–2012), Pre-Recession (2005–2008), and Post-Recession (2013–2016). The impact of seasonal winter mortality and morbidity during the Great Recession in Portugal and its Regional Health Administrations was measured through the assessment of agestandardized excess winter (EW) death and hospital admissions rate and index, expected life expectancy gains without EW deaths, EWrate of potential years of life lost, and EWrate of emergency hospital admission costs. Important increases of winter deaths and hospital admissions were identified, resulting in an important number of potential years of life lost (87 years of life lost per 100,000 inhabitants in 2009–2012), life expectancy loss (1 year in 2009–2012), and National Health Service costs with explicit temporal and spatial variations. These human and economic costs have decreased consistently during the analyzed periods, while no significant increase was found during the Great Recession. Despite its reduction, the winter excess morbidity and mortality highlight that Portugal still faces substantial challenges related to a highly vulnerable population, calling for investments in better social and health protection.
- Is food insecurity related to health-care use, access and absenteeism?Publication . Dias, Sara; Gregório, Maria João; Melo, António; Matias, Maria Ana; Rodrigues , Ana M; Sousa, Rute Dinis de; Canhão,Helena; Perelman, JulianFood insecurity (FI) is defined as uncertain access to healthy food in quantity and quality. We hypothesize that FI may be associated with greater health-care use and absenteeism because it may amplify the effect of diseases; also, FI may be associated with reduced health-care access because it reflects economic vulnerability. The present study estimates the association between FI and health-care use and access, and absenteeism.Design: Cross-sectional data collected in 2015-2016. Health-care use was measured as the number of consultations, taking any drug and having been hospitalized in the past year. Health-care access was measured by the suspension of medication and having fewer consultations due to financial constraints. Absenteeism was measured by the weeks of sickness leave. Binary variables were modelled as a function of FI using logistic regressions; continuous variables were modelled as a function of FI using negative binomial and zero-inflated negative binomial regressions. Covariates were included sequentially.Setting: Portugal.Participants: Non-institutionalized adults from the EpiDoc3 cohort (n 5648).Results: FI was significantly associated with health-care use before controlling for socio-economic conditions and quality of life. Moderate/severe FI was positively related to the suspension of medicines (adjusted OR = 4·68; 95 % CI 3·11, 6·82) and to having fewer consultations (adjusted OR = 3·98; 95 % CI 2·42, 6·37). FI and absenteeism were not significantly associated.Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that FI reflects precariousness, which hinders access to health care. The greater use of health care among food-insecure people is explained by their worse quality of life and lower socio-economic condition, so that the specific role of poor nutrition is unclear.