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Table 3 Overview of selected confounders

From: Is globalization healthy: a statistical indicator analysis of the impacts of globalization on health

Indicator

Definition

n (sample size)

Year(s)

Source

GDP per capita growth (annual%)*

"Annual percentage growth rate of GDP per capita based on constant local currency. GDP per capita is gross domestic product divided by midyear population. GDP at purchaser's prices is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources (The World Bank Group, 2010)"

114

2008

World DataBank, World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance [36]

Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population)

"[...] the percentage of the population whose food intake is insufficient to meet dietary energy requirements continuously. Data showing as 2.5 signifies a prevalence of undernourishment below 2.5% (The World Bank Group, 2010)."

116

2006

World Databank, World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance [36]

Total expenditure on health as a percentage of gross domestic product

"Level of total expenditure on health (THE) expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) (WHO, 2009a)."

117

2006

WHO [30, 31]

Health expenditure, public (% of GDP)

"Public health expenditure consists of recurrent and capital spending from government (central and local) budgets, external borrowings and grants (including donations from international agencies and nongovernmental organizations), and social (or compulsory) health insurance funds (The World Bank Group, 2010)."

117

2007

World Databank, World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance [36]

Health expenditure, total (% of GDP)

"Total health expenditure is the sum of public and private health expenditure. It covers the provision of health services (preventive and curative), family planning activities, nutrition activities, and emergency aid designated for health but does not include provision of water and sanitation (World Bank Group, 2010)."

117

2007

World Databank, World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance [36]

Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above)

"Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life (World Bank Group, 2010)."

97

2000-2008**

World Databank, World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance [36]

Total enrolment, primary (% net) 2000-2008

"Total enrollment is the number of pupils of the school-age group for primary education, enrolled either in primary or secondary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group (World Bank Group, 2010)."

109

2000-2008**

World Databank, World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance [36]

School enrolment, secondary (% net)

"Net enrollment ratio is the ratio of children of official school age based on the International Standard Classification of Education 1997 who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age. Secondary education completes the provision of basic education that began at the primary level, and aims at laying the foundations for lifelong learning and human development, by offering more subject- or skill-oriented instruction using more specialized teachers (World Bank Group, 2010)."

94

2000-2008**

World Databank, World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance [36]

Total fertility rate (per woman)

"The average number of children a hypothetical cohort of women would have at the end of their reproductive period if they were subject during their whole lives to the fertility rates of a given period and if they were not subject to mortality. It is expressed as children per woman (WHO, 2009a)."

117

2006

WHO [30, 31]

Smoking prevalence, females (% of adults)

"[...] the percentage of women ages 15 and over who smoke any form of tobacco, including cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, and excluding smokeless tobacco. Data include daily and non-daily smoking (World Bank Group, 2010)."

95

2006

World Databank, World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance [36]

Improved water source (% of population with access)

"[...] the percentage of the population with reasonable access to an adequate amount of water from an improved source, such as a household connection, public standpipe, borehole, protected well or spring, and rainwater collection. Unimproved sources include vendors, tanker trucks, and unprotected wells and springs. Reasonable access is defined as the availability of at least 20 liters a person a day from a source within one kilometer of the dwelling (World Bank Group, 2010)."

107

2000-2006**

World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance (World Bank Group 2010)

Improved sanitation facilities (% of population with access)

"Access to improved sanitation facilities refers to the percentage of the population with at least adequate access to excreta disposal facilities that can effectively prevent human, animal, and insect contact with excreta. Improved facilities range from simple but protected pit latrines to flush toilets with a sewerage connection. To be effective, facilities must be correctly constructed and properly maintained (World Bank Group, 2010)."

102

2000-2006**

World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance [36]

Immunization, DPT (% of children ages 12-23 months)

"Child immunization measures the percentage of children ages 12-23 months who received vaccinations before 12 months or at any time before the survey. A child is considered adequately immunized against diphtheria, pertussis (or whooping cough), and tetanus (DPT) after receiving three doses of vaccine (World Bank Group, 2010)."

116

2008

World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance [36]

Immunization, measles (% of children ages 12-23 months)

"Child immunization measures the percentage of children ages 12-23 months who received vaccinations before 12 months or at any time before the survey. A child is considered adequately immunized against measles after receiving one dose of vaccine (World Bank Group, 2010)."

116

2008

World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance [36]

  1. * Other GDP measures (including GDP per capita (PPP)) have not been included for the following reasons: a) the GDP measure shows multicollinearity with the other confounders and/or b) the GDP measure when tested does not function as a confounder in the MGI-health indicator relationship.
  2. ** Data for most recent year available in this range has been selected for each country. It should be noted that all compiled datasets largely exist of data stemming from the latest years that the set covers, and only few cases from earlier years have been added to meet the sampled countries in the MGI dataset. Confounders that did not have any or much current data available for the sampled countries did not qualify for a compilation of data over several years, and were therefore not included in this study.