{"title":"Social Health Insurance Programs and Preventive Care Utilization Among Chinese Older Adults: Results From the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey.","authors":"Cai Xu, Mack Shelley, Yen-Han Lee","doi":"10.1177/27551938251365076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/27551938251365076","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>China has aimed to establish a universal health care system through a comprehensive health reform since 2009. However, knowledge about the association between basic social insurances and preventive care utilization (PCU) among Chinese older adults, especially as primary coverage, remains limited. This study investigates these associations using data from the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. We analyzed 9,952 older adults with major medical coverage from urban employee/resident insurance (UE/URBMI), cooperative medical programs (New Rural Cooperative Medical System; NCMS), or self-payment (SP). Propensity score matching (PSM) enhanced comparability between UE/URBMI or NCMS and a control group with SP coverage. Subsequent logistic regression examined associations between major medical expense coverage and PCU for older adults with NCMS + SP (<i>n</i> = 6,580) and UE/URBMI + SP (<i>n</i> = 5,248) groups, respectively. NCMS participants had higher odds of reporting PCU compared to SP users (odds ratio: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.40-1.75, <i>P</i> < .001). Conversely, no significant association was observed in the UE/URBMI + SP group (odds ratio: 1.08, 95% CI: 0.93-1.24, <i>P</i> > .05). This study highlights diverse associations between health insurance types and PCU among older adults. Empirical results suggest sustained government-led health insurance reform may need to continue progressing to strengthen financial incentives for PCU within the social insurance framework.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"27551938251365076"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144818437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Political Economy of Health Inequality.","authors":"Gary Lowery","doi":"10.1177/27551938251365072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/27551938251365072","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>How are health inequalities shaped by a country's political economy? In answering this question this article takes as its point of analytical departure health inequalities in England that are persistent, entrenched, and, by some metrics, increasing. Political economy in the English context is understood as broad commitment to neoliberalism as a governing paradigm. Partial answers to this question have already been provided through analyses of neoliberalism broadly conceived, as well as the impact of its key policy tenets (privatization, liberalization, and deregulation) on access to health and health care. The key contribution of this article, however, is to take a step back to consider the contributory role of the broader philosophical underpinnings of neoliberalism, thereby providing fresh insights into the manner in which the appropriate role of government, individualism, and inequality shape government understandings of, and responses to, health inequalities. In doing, so the article contributes to a greater understanding of the frequently neglected structural, or \"upstream,\" determinants of health inequalities.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"27551938251365072"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144823350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Navigating Organizational Challenges and Formal Support for Afghan Refugee Women in California Amid Covid-19 and the Taliban's Takeover.","authors":"A Aghaei, B Roth, P M Koga, X Li, S Qiao","doi":"10.1177/27551938251360646","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/27551938251360646","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Afghan refugee women in the United States are facing mental health challenges due to COVID-19 and the 2021 Taliban takeover. Given the key role of formal support in refugees' mental health, in this study we examined the effectiveness, barriers, and facilitators of formal support from governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) by interviewing 34 Afghan refugee women and 18 refugee service providers in California. Results indicated sufficient formal support was received by women in areas like food/grocery assistance, COVID-related programs, financial aid, and referral services. However, gaps were identified in areas like support for empowerment (e.g., literacy support), support for social integration (e.g., community centers), stress mitigation and coping support (e.g., domestic violence programs), informational support (e.g., informational workshops) and instrumental support (e.g., occupational skills training). Although barriers like inefficient policies, cultural and language barriers, patriarchal norms, and limited funding negatively impact the effectiveness of formal support to women, facilitators such as increased political attention, contributions of religious communities, and strengthened NGO relationships with local providers could enhance these services. We concluded that while Afghan women's immediate needs were relatively addressed, long-term, culturally competent approaches are required for their integration and well-being, suggesting NGOs focus on cultural competence, communication, capacity building, sustainability, and collaboration.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"27551938251360646"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144755285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corrigendum to \"Bridging Sectors and Disciplines to Gain a Critical Understanding of the Eco-Social Determinants of Health Inequities: The ESDHI-EU Conference\".","authors":"","doi":"10.1177/27551938251355178","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938251355178","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"27551938251355178"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144638789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Social Determinants of Health: State of the art, precarious employment and labor markets, racial and ethnic oppression, pharmaceutical industry, war and global health.","authors":"Carles Muntaner, Joan Benach","doi":"10.1177/27551938251346942","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938251346942","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"235-237"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144268041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Virginia Gunn, Nuria Matilla-Santander, Bertina Kreshpaj, Emilia F Vignola, David H Wegman, Christer Hogstedt, Theo Bodin, Emily Q Ahonen, Sherry Baron, Carles Muntaner, Patricia O'Campo, Wayne Lewchuk, Maria Albin, Kathryn Badarin, Carin Håkansta
{"title":"A Systematic Review of Evaluated Labor Market Initiatives Addressing Precarious Employment: Findings and Public Health Implications.","authors":"Virginia Gunn, Nuria Matilla-Santander, Bertina Kreshpaj, Emilia F Vignola, David H Wegman, Christer Hogstedt, Theo Bodin, Emily Q Ahonen, Sherry Baron, Carles Muntaner, Patricia O'Campo, Wayne Lewchuk, Maria Albin, Kathryn Badarin, Carin Håkansta","doi":"10.1177/27551938241310120","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938241310120","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Precarious employment (PE) is a major determinant of population health and contributor to health and social inequities. The purpose of this article is to synthesize and critically appraise available evidence on labor market initiatives addressing PE identified through a systematic review. Of the 21 initiatives reviewed, grouped into four categories-labor market policies, legislation, and reforms; union strategies; apprenticeships and other youth programs; social protection programs-10 showed consistently positive outcomes and 11 a combination of negative, mixed, or inconclusive outcomes. In addition to reviewing the key findings, we discuss public health implications and recommendations related to PE and the implementation and evaluation of initiatives. Given the wide diversity of initiatives, implementation approaches, evaluation methods, and socioeconomic and historical contexts characterizing the labor markets of the countries studied, we refrain from making recommendations regarding the most effective initiatives to address PE. Instead, we discuss several implications concerning the four types of initiatives to further support those searching for solutions to address PE. We strongly recommend tailoring adopted initiatives to local contexts to match a country's specific PE problems and unique labor market and socioeconomic context.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"268-288"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12171052/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143017513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rebeka Balogh, Deborah De Moortel, Sylvie Gadeyne, Julie Vanderleyden, Chris Warhurst, Christophe Vanroelen
{"title":"Is it the Past or the Present? Employment Quality, Unemployment History, Psychological Distress and Mental Wellbeing in the United Kingdom.","authors":"Rebeka Balogh, Deborah De Moortel, Sylvie Gadeyne, Julie Vanderleyden, Chris Warhurst, Christophe Vanroelen","doi":"10.1177/27551938241288788","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938241288788","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Low employment quality and precarious employment have been associated with adverse mental health outcomes, yet the extent to which this association may be explained by the experience of unemployment \"scarring\" has not yet been explored. From a life course perspective, understanding this possible confounding is necessary. Drawing on the United Kingdom's Understanding Society dataset and using latent class analysis, we derived a typology of employment quality across six dimensions and assessed the links between individuals' employment quality, unemployment history, and mental well-being and psychological distress. Our results show that precarious types of employment as well as a higher quality \"protected part-time\" were linked to low mental well-being, though important gender differences were noted. Accounting for past unemployment did not fully explain these associations. No such adverse associations were observed for increased psychological distress. Our results help further the understanding of employment quality as a social determinant of health and highlight the need for both life course and gender-sensitive research in this area.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"289-302"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12171024/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142482375","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mental Health of Black Canadians: A Scoping Review.","authors":"Adedoyin Olanlesi-Aliu, Aisha Giwa, Bukola Salami","doi":"10.1177/27551938241311875","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938241311875","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Black Canadians frequently experience significant challenges when attempting to access mental health care, resulting in discrepancies in mental health outcomes. This article describes a scoping review that aimed to understand the range and nature of research conducted on the mental health of black Canadians and to identify the gaps in this literature. An established methodological framework guided the scoping review process. We searched research databases (CINAHL, Embase, Global Health, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, Sociological Abstracts, and Web of Science) and grey literature sources for peer-reviewed articles and grey reports on the health of black Canadians. Of the 14 121 articles screened, 43 were included in the review. Our review found spiritual support, resilience, collective culture, and culturally congruent support as facilitators of positive mental health of black people in Canada, while stigmatization, misconceptions, low uptake of mental services, and difficulties accessing mental health services were the most significant barriers. Strategies for improving the mental health of black people in Canada center on social, emotional, and community support. Our findings indicate the need for black stakeholder involvement in awareness creation and knowledge improvement, which will help to dispel the myths and misconceptions about mental health in black populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"303-317"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143049170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Missed Nuances in Tuberculosis Research: Reflections from a Tibetan Scholar.","authors":"Nawang Yanga","doi":"10.1177/27551938251314654","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938251314654","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acknowledging and valuing the lived experiences of scholars from the Global South is crucial for more nuanced, refined, and equitable approaches to and interpretations of research. The sheer lack of Tibetan scholars authoring and leading studies within the Tibetan diaspora is especially concerning. The paucity of Tibetan scholars in tuberculosis (TB) discourse is a marker and product of the colonization of academic global health and of global inequities in opportunity and credibility. The lack of Tibetan voices, advocates and scholars alike, in the TB discourse creates ambiguities and misinterpretations, and a general unwillingness to dig deeper into the social, cultural, economic, and historical contexts under which TB thrives in this community. It also symbolizes the lack of opportunity faced by many scholars based in the Global South. Efforts to decolonize global health must also parallel efforts to address other related injustices.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"330-337"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12171065/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143366893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Global Polycrisis and Health Inequalities.","authors":"Courtney McNamara, Clare Bambra","doi":"10.1177/27551938251317472","DOIUrl":"10.1177/27551938251317472","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the current era of multiple, overlapping global crises, it is essential to consider the political economy of health within the broader framework of global interconnectedness. In this article, we employ the polycrisis concept to understand the impacts of the multifaceted, concurrent, and synergistic contemporary global crises on global health and health inequalities. A polycrisis occurs when crises in multiple diverse global systems become causally entangled, compounding their effects. Despite its potential relevance and analytical insights, the polycrisis concept has rarely been applied in public health research. This article fills that gap, and through reviewing the impacts of past economic, environmental, health, and political crises, we argue that the polycrisis is creating a complex web of challenges that are likely to amplify existing and future health inequalities. We conclude by discussing strategies to mitigate these impacts and suggest pathways for research to ensure that the future is not inevitably unequal.</p>","PeriodicalId":73479,"journal":{"name":"International journal of social determinants of health and health services","volume":" ","pages":"238-248"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12171050/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143434450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}