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Currently, preventing and controlling air pollution and inhibiting the excessively rapid growth of medical expenditures to reduce the living burden of residents have become a focus of general concern of society as a whole. It is of great significance to conduct an in-depth study of the relationship between air pollution and public health expenditur...
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... It is evident to find that the coefficient values of lnPM 2.5 and W*lnPM 2.5 are both negative, and the coefficient value of W*lnPM 2.5 is greater than that of lnPM 2.5 , which is consistent with the above conclusions. It is worth noting that previous literature studies have also reached similar conclusions, namely, that residents in surrounding areas have significantly higher lung cancer mortality and respiratory disease mortality than local residents, and that residents in surrounding areas also spend significantly more on medical and health expenses than local residents (Chen et al., 2017;Feng et al., 2019;Sun et al., 2021). This finding suggests that the results of previous literature studies are consistent with the findings of this paper. ...
Regional haze pollution is a serious atmospheric environmental problem in China, it seriously affects residents’ health. This paper uses ArcGIS software to analyse the spatial and temporal distribution maps of haze pollution and residents’ health in China, and empirically examines the spatial non-linear effects of haze pollution on residents’ health by using spatial econometric models and threshold models. The results are shown as follows: First, the level of haze pollution in China is gradually decreasing, and the level of residents’ health is gradually improving. It is worth noting that the areas with high level of haze pollution are mainly located on the southeast side of the Hu line. Coincidentally, the areas with high level of residents’ health are also mainly located in the southeast side of the Hu line. Second, haze pollution has significant spatial spillover effect on residents’ health, with inter-regional spillover effect being much greater than intra-regional spillover effect. Third, economic development increases the health risk from haze pollution, while environmental regulation does not reduce the health risk from haze pollution. The effect of population agglomeration on the health risk from haze pollution shows a trend of improvement followed by deterioration, while the effect of industrial agglomeration on the health risk from haze pollution shows a trend of deterioration followed by improvement. Therefore, this paper provides valuable insights for the ongoing and comprehensive efforts to fight for a blue sky and promote the implementation of the national strategies of “Beautiful China” and “Healthy China”.
... On the one hand, some scholars studied the relationship between air pollution and population migration. They found that when there is a localized deterioration in air quality, residents will pay more attention to air pollution (Chen et al. 2020b;Ji et al. 2022), and then they have a stronger willingness to migrate (Zhao et al. 2021b), so as to reduce economic losses from air pollution (Chen and Chen 2021;Sun et al. 2021), and avoid health damage (Gao et al. 2022;Schraufnagel et al. 2019). As indicated in some literature, with the increasing frequency of Internet searches on migration (Pinchas-Mizrachi et al. 2020), people eventually shift from a willingness to migrate to an active flight (Guo et al. 2022) and often to more environmentally friendly regions (Chen et al. 2022). ...
At present, air pollution remains a serious environmental issue with extensive attention in China. It may not only cause population outflow but also poses significant threats to residents’ health. Therefore, it has become an imperative initiative to explore the impact of air pollution on the residents’ health. In this paper, we map the spatial distribution of air pollution, population migration, and residents’ health between 2010 and 2020 based on panel data from 31 Chinese provinces. Theoretical analysis and empirical tests are then carried out to investigate the intrinsic logical relationships between the three. The research findings demonstrate the following: (1) Air pollution not only has a direct negative impact on residents’ health, but it also has an indirect impact on residents’ health through the mediating effect of population migration. (2) Air pollution has a significant negative spatial spillover effect on residents’ health, and neighboring residents are at greater health risk of being exposed to air pollution than local residents. (3) Economic development, environmental regulation, and their interaction term exhibit a single threshold effect on the health risk of air pollution. (4) From the perspective of regional heterogeneity, we find that the health risk of air pollution is greater in northern China and the southeast of the Hu Line. This paper provides valuable insights for promoting the implementation of the grand strategies of “Beautiful China” and “Healthy China.”
... Coal combustion is accompanied by significant emissions of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. High concentrations of these substances in the atmosphere are associated with adverse effects on human health [6][7][8]. A ban on the sale of coal in cities leads to a significant reduction in the concentration of smoke in the air, resulting in a sharp decline in mortality from respiratory and cardiovascular disease [9,10]. ...
The energy sector is one of the most important pollutants in the atmosphere and causes significant emissions of greenhouse gases. In Russia, coal is the main contributor to the fossil fuel consumption of thermal power plants and boilers, thus affecting atmospheric air pollution by releasing particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, which are strongly associated with a negative impact on human health. This problem is especially acute for the resource regions of Yenisei, Siberia, a 2.5+ mln sq km macro-region in the very heart of Russia. In this paper, we analyze the impact of the structure of electricity and heat generation on emissions of pollutants and climate-active gases in Yenisei, Siberia, and give an overview of their social, ecological, and economic effects. More than 75% of electricity in Yenisei, Siberia, is produced by hydroelectric power plants that do not pollute the atmosphere. The rest of the electricity is generated in the cogeneration mode by thermal power plants, which are cores of the heat supply designs of cities. The share of individual coal-powered heat sources is still high. A detailed analysis of existing equipment and technologies at existing thermal power plants is needed to select options for their modernization to reduce emissions while keeping coal in use. Our calculations for the biggest cities of Krasnoyarsk Krai show that investments in the transition to heating with pellets will require RUB 184.7 million for Nazarovo and RUB 313.9 million for Kansk. At the same time, switching to electric heating is more than twice as expensive: RUB 498.6 million for Nazarovo and RUB 847.5 million for Kansk. The additional costs will range from RUB 21 to RUB 45.4 thousand per household per year for the pellet variant and from RUB 56.8 to RUB 122.5 thousand per year for electric heating, which could triple the annual heating costs. Thus, these options are unlikely to be implemented without direct state support. We argue that creating an attractive living environment in Yenisei, Siberia, must begin with intensive public investment in mitigating the environmental externalities caused by coal emissions.
... Recently, scholars have focused on studying how environmental pollution can affect medical and healthcare expenditure. For instance, Sun et al. (2020) studied the impact of air pollution on urban residents' health expenditure, finding that air pollution is the main factor leading to increases in residents' medical expenditure, and the spatial spillover effect of air pollution on residents' medical expenditure is significant. Similar studies have also confirmed this effect (Yang and Zhang, 2018;Zeng & He, 2019). ...
... Control variables. Inspired by the previous related researches, we control for a series of regional economic indicators that might be related to residents' medical and healthcare expenditure (Chen et al., 2016;Sun et al. 2020;Wan et al., 2021). We control for the natural logarithm of total gross domestic product (GDP), denoted by LnGDP. ...
... In addition, prior studies have indicated that residents' medical and healthcare expenditure displays obvious regional heterogeneity (Chen et al., 2017;Sun et al. 2020). In this paper, heterogeneity analysis shows that, in provinces with relatively high levels of economic development, the negative spillover effect of FEPE on per capita medical and healthcare expenditure of residents is larger than in provinces with low levels. ...
The Chinese government has not only been increasing investments in environmental protection, improving the quality of the ecological environment, but has also been focusing on curbing the excessive growth of medical and healthcare expenses so as to ease the economic burden of China’s residents. Both aspects are significant concerns worldwide and have received much research attention individually, but the relationship between government environmental protection expenditure and residents’ medical and healthcare expenditure remains unclear. Based on panel data from 31 provinces in China from 2007 to 2019, this paper empirically reveals that fiscal environmental protection expenditure is significantly negatively correlated with per capita medical and healthcare expenditure of residents (including outpatient expenditure and inpatient expenditure). This study shows that increasing the fiscal environmental protection expenditure can help curb the rising level of residents’ medical and healthcare expenditure. In addition, the results of heterogeneity analysis indicate that the above relationship is stronger in provinces with a relatively low level of economic development or low proportion of the population over 65 years old. Management implications are discussed.
... In addition, we consider air quality as another mediating factor. Sun, et al. [87] reported that air pollution is the main factor that promotes the increase in residents' health expenditures. Das and Ivaldi [88] similarly pointed to environmental pollution, including air pollution, as a cause of health expenditures in many developed countries. ...
The health–beneficial value of urban green spaces (UGS) is increasingly accepted by scholars. However, compared to the large number of studies focused on UGS–health associations, whether UGS in high-density cities could reduce public health expenditures remains less investigated. In particular, few studies have examined the association of UGS quality with health expenditures. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study in downtown Shanghai to examine such associations. A population-based household survey (n = 1000) was conducted to collect relevant information about different aspects of health expenditure and the characteristics of UGS. Specifically, a new method was proposed to measure UGS quality based on the supply–demand of 20 types of UGS activities. We also measured the perceived quality of different types of UGS and quantified the amount of UGS using GIS based on remote sensing data. Regression models were applied for statistical analysis. The results showed that both UGS quality based on user needs and perceived UGS quality have a significant negative association with total health expenditures. This study provides insights for UGS quality measurement, contributes to the understanding of the health-related economic benefits of UGS, and also highlights the importance of UGS optimization in high-density urban areas.
... Moreover, based on the perspective of collaborative governance, more government health expenditure should be used for health policies dealing with the corresponding health problems caused by environmental pollution. As for the impact of air pollution on health expenditure, scholars have found that the spillover effect is as much as half of the total effect, suggesting that greater attention should be paid to the spatial correlation between adjacent regions [2,29]. As Chen has indicated, if industrial sulfur dioxide emissions in a city increase by 10,000 tons, the mortality rates from lung cancer and respiratory diseases will grow by 0.217 and 1.543 per ten thousand persons, respectively, in neighbouring areas . ...
... To improve the cost-effectiveness ratio of government health expenditure, different measures need to be taken for different characteristics (according to the city), rather than a large number of expenses that are repeatedly incurred to make up for the adverse health outcomes caused by air pollution. First of all, for cities whose government health expenditure is only restricted by air pollution, the existing literature has proven that the air pollution in this area is a serious concern and that there is spatial spillover effect [29], which may be related to the industrial belt located throughout the region. Although industrial agglomeration areas provide employment opportunities for residents and promote the development of the local economy, it is evident that it also increases the burdens related to health expenditure for local governments. ...
Background
As the fifth-largest global mortality risk factor, air pollution has caused nearly one-tenth of the world’s deaths, with a death toll of 5 million. 21% of China’s disease burden was related to environmental pollution, which is 8% higher than the US. Air pollution will increase the demand and utilisation of Chinese residents’ health services, thereby placing a greater economic burden on the government. This study reveals the spatial impact of socioeconomic, health, policy and population factors combined with environmental factors on government health expenditure.
Methods
Spearman’s correlation coefficient and GeoDetector were used to identify the determinants of government health expenditure. The GeoDetector consist of four detectors: factor detection, interaction detection, risk detection, and ecological detection. One hundred sixty-nine prefecture-level cities in China are studied. The data sources are the 2017 data from China’s Economic and Social Big Data Research Platform and WorldPOP gridded population datasets.
Results
It is found that industrial sulfur dioxide attributed to government health expenditure, whose q value (explanatory power of X to Y) is 0.5283. The interaction between air pollution factors and other factors will increase the impact on government health expenditure, the interaction value (explanatory power of × 1∩× 2 to Y) of GDP and industrial sulfur dioxide the largest, whose values is 0.9593. There are 96 simple high-risk areas in these 169 areas, but there are still high-risk areas affected by multiple factors.
Conclusion
First, multiple factors influence the spatial heterogeneity of government health expenditure. Second, health and socio-economic factors are still the dominant factors leading to increased government health expenditure. Third, air pollution does have an important impact on government health expenditure. As a catalytic factor, combining with other factors, it will strengthen their impact on government health expenditure. Finally, an integrated approach should be adopted to synergisticly governance the high-risk areas with multi-risk factors.
... Sun et al. demonstrated that air pollution is also the main factor that influences residents' expenditures on health management [37]. Theoretically, air pollution affects health mainly in two ways: first, the reduction in sleep time caused by ambient air pollution is not conducive to health; second, people spend more time on sedentary activities to avoid exposure to air pollution, which will indirectly lead to an increase in personal medical expenditure [38]. Additionally, from the empirical results, air pollution will lead to a significant increase in medical expenses, hospitalization expenses and extrabudgetary expenses [38]. ...
... Theoretically, air pollution affects health mainly in two ways: first, the reduction in sleep time caused by ambient air pollution is not conducive to health; second, people spend more time on sedentary activities to avoid exposure to air pollution, which will indirectly lead to an increase in personal medical expenditure [38]. Additionally, from the empirical results, air pollution will lead to a significant increase in medical expenses, hospitalization expenses and extrabudgetary expenses [38]. For example, Liu et al. estimated age-and cause-specific premature deaths and quantified related health damage with the measurement of the age-adjusted value of statistical life (VSL). ...
Background
Current research on activities of daily living (ADLs) disability has mostly focused on the analysis of demographic characteristics, while research on the microcharacteristics of individuals and the macroenvironment is relatively limited, and these studies solely concern the impact of air quality on individual health.
Methods
This study innovatively investigated the impact of air quality on ADL disability by matching micro data of individuals from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study with data of urban environmental quality from 122 cities. In this study, an ordered panel logit model was adopted for the benchmark test, and the two-stage ordered probit model with IV was used for endogenous treatment.
Results
This innovative study investigated the impact of air quality on ADL disability by matching individual micro data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study with urban environmental quality data for 122 cities. The results showed that air quality significantly increased the probability of ADL disability. The positive and marginal effect of air quality on moderate and mild disability was higher. Generally, the marginal effect of air quality on residents’ health was negative. In terms of group heterogeneity, the ADL disability of individuals aged over 60 years, those in the high Gross Domestic Product (GDP) group, females, and those in the nonpilot long-term care insurance group was more affected by air quality, and the interaction between air quality and serious illness showed that the deterioration of air quality exacerbated the ADL disability caused by serious illness; that is, the moderating effect was significant.
Conclusions
According to the equilibrium condition of the individual health production function, the ADL disability caused by a 1% improvement in air quality is equivalent to the ADL disability caused by an 89.9652% reduction in serious illness, indicating that the effect of improved air quality is difficult to replace by any other method. Therefore, good air quality can not only reduce ADL disability directly but also reduce serious illness indirectly, which is equivalent to the reduction of ADL disability. This is called the health impact.
... Moreover, air pollution is fluid (Cheng et al. 2017), and ignoring the spillover effects of air pollution will lead to serious deviations in the estimation results. Accordingly, scholars have analyzed the relationship between air pollution and health from the spatial perspective (Peng et al. 2021;Sun et al. 2021). Chen et al. (2017) and Zeng et al. (2019a) explored the direct and indirect effects of air pollution and its spillover effects on public health by constructing the spatial Durbin model. ...
Haze pollution poses a serious threat to residents’ health. In this study, a spatial econometric model of environmental health was established to investigate the direction, intensity, and spatial–temporal heterogeneity of the impact of haze pollution and its spillover effects on public health in 26 cities of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomerations from 2005 to 2018. The study found that (1) PM2.5 pollution and public health level all show the characteristic of positive spatial correlation and spatial clustering. (2) Haze pollution is the main influencing factor of residents’ public health level, with significant negative effects and obvious spillover effects. The urbanization rate, the number of health technicians, and the green area per capita have significant positive impacts on public health. (3) The spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the impact of haze pollution and other factors on public health is obvious. The negative correlation between PM2.5 pollution and public health in eastern cities is higher than that in other cities. Both urbanization rate and green area per capita have a greater positive impact on public health in the northeast of the Yangtze River Delta region. The improvement effect of the number of health technicians on the public health is stronger in the cities of Anhui Province. The research results of this paper provide certain support for the city governments to formulate targeted policies.
... Zhou et al. (2015), Cao et al. (2017), andGe et al. (2018) found a significantly positive relation between the values of PM 2.5 and PM 10 and ED visits for pneumonia, respiratory tract infection, and coronary heart disease, especially during cold months. Sun et al. (2021) indicated that air pollution is the main factor promoting the increase in residents' health expenditure. ...
The rapid development of China’s economy has largely relied on energy consumption, which has caused serious air pollution and affected public health, and economic development, energy consumption, air pollution, and public health have nowadays become the focus of academic attention. However, the previous literature failed to consider undesirable output when constructing the Dynamic Network DEA model to study the efficiencies of energy consumption, air pollution, and public health. As a result, past studies did not employ those three issues in a structure to effectively reflect and solve the problems. Therefore, this paper constructs the Two-Stage Dynamic Undesirable DEA model and puts energy consumption, air pollution, and public health into the same framework in order to fill the gap in the literature. Findings show that the production consumption efficiency stage is better than the health protection stage, and that the efficiency values of variables vary significantly in different regions. The efficiency of tumor and tuberculosis is the lowest, with oil consumption and birthrate efficiencies are the best, followed by coal, nitrogen oxide (NOx), and dust efficiencies. Coal efficiency exhibits a fluctuating downward trend, whereas the efficiencies of electricity, air pollutants, tuberculosis, and tumor tend to fluctuate upwards during the research period. In consideration of the varying performances of different regions in the two stages, we put forward suggestions based on these findings to improve the efficiencies of energy, environment, and public health in China.
