Nathanuel Brown

Nathanuel Brown, Word Count 420

Article#1:  Environmental Factors Affecting Health Indicators in Sub-Saharan African Countries: Health is Wealth.

The method used for this article was a double regression model on a panel or longitudinal data collection. A panel collection means that the participants were studied multiple times over a period of time. This study was focused on Sub-Saharan African Countries over the years of 1995-2013(215). The authors Khalid Zaman, Aqeel Ahmad, Tengku Adeline Adura Tengku Hamzah, and Mariney Mohd Yusoff looked at environmental factors their different sources and carbon emissions in the atmosphere affecting external health resources total health costs, costs by government, personal costs, and life expectancy at birth (216).

Results showed that carbon dioxide emissions, commercial production, and water sanitation have a negative effect on external health resources (225). On the other hand, energy use, and fossil fuel consumption have a positive effect on external health resources. Furthermore, health expenditures are mainly affected by air and water sanitation facilities(225). Also, life expectancy at birth are affected by fossil fuel energy consumption, and water sanitation conditions in the area (225). Lastly, the out of pocket expenditures decreased by increased fossil fuel energy use (225).

Article#2: Do racial inequities in infant mortality correspond to variations in societal conditions? A study of state-level income inequality in the U.S.

The method used for this data was analyzing secondary data collected by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (51). The authors Arjumand Siddiqi, Marcella K. Jones, Donald J. Bruce, and Paul C. Erwin decided to use the years 1992 through 2007 (51). Also, the authors found it important to exclude seven states because of suppression of African American information for three years (51). The purpose for the articles data collection is to determine reasonings for racial difference across states in terms of infant mortality rates (51).

Their results show that infant mortality rates are going down for both whites and blacks(56). Also, their determine with a fame of income inequality. As people have less money they are more cautious to have a baby. Thereby, delaying them having a baby. They call this a lagged effect (56). As the authors describe, this could be an explanation if those that delayed having a child would be more likely to experience infant mortality (56).      

 

Comparison

These articles tackle two different constructs in the realm of health. The first article looked at overall health in terms of money and air/water sanitation. The second looked at infant mortality rates with a specific look at income, and race inequalities. Also, the first article was based on a longitudinal study in Africa. The second article was in the U.S. and was secondary data collected by the CDC and Prevention.