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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Health, Well-Being and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 20207

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hyo Young Lee

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Guest Editor

Department of Health Administration, Dongseo University, Busan, Republic of Korea
Interests: health risk factors; health program planning and evaluation; community-based research and community-based health program; health inequalities; mental health, elderly health, women’s health; long term care: issues around care giver, regulations on long-term care facilities; health education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Hye Kyung Woo

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Guest Editor

Department of Health Administration, Kongju National University, Gongju-si, Republic of Korea
Interests: health and medical information; digital health; health risk factors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Jung-hwa Shin

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Guest Editor

Department of Campus Asia, Dongseo University, Busan, Korea
Interests: international relations; policy; Asian policy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable development’ took its first step forward when it was declared as a goal for the future development of human society at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. In 2015, world leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly to set 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be pursued by 2030 for the sustainable development of mankind. These sustainable development goals, which pursue balanced development in all areas of the environment, economy, and society, will serve as a compass for resolving numerous crises that the present and future generations will face.

The role and importance of these sustainable development goals are growing day by day in an era of complex crises such as the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and natural disasters, economic crises, and the extinction of species. In line with these times, this Special Issue intends to include any issues for “Public Health Sustainable Health Management” and related to society as a whole in order to lead our society to having 'better health'.

Prof. Dr. Hyo Young Lee
Prof. Dr. Hye kyung Woo
Prof. Dr. Jung-hwa Shin
Guest Editors

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Keywords

public health
health policy
health management
sustainability
health policy
health promotion
elderly care

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1151 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sleep Duration and Risk of Depression: Empirical Evidence from Chinese Middle-Aged and Older Adults

by Weijie Yu, Yijia Gong, Xiaozhen Lai, Jianping Liu and Hongguo Rong

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5664; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075664 - 23 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1961

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationships between sleep duration and depression among middle-aged and older adults in China. Methods: This study used the data of 17,744 respondents from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), an ongoing national longitudinal survey of Chinese adults aged 45 years and above. Self-reported sleep duration per night was obtained from face-to-face interviews. Depression was evaluated using the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D 10). The multivariable generalized linear model (GLM) was adopted to estimate the associations between sleep duration and depression. Results: Of the 17,744 respondents, 8425 (47.5%) were men. The mean (SD) age was 62.6 (10.0) years old. Respondents with short (≤4, 5 h per night) sleep duration had a higher risk of depression [odds ratio (OR): 2.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.35–3.27), p < 0.001; OR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.38–1.98, p < 0.001] compared with those slept for 7 h per night after adjusting for covariates. Long sleep duration (8, 9, ≥10) had no significant risk for depression. Restricted cubic splines analysis suggested that when sleep duration fell below 9 h, increased sleep duration was associated with a significantly lower risk of depression (OR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.79–0.84, p < 0.001). When sleep duration exceeded 9 h, the risk of depression (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.94–1.14, p = 0.512) would not increase significantly facing prolonged sleep duration. Conclusions: Short sleep duration was associated with depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults in China. Future studies are needed to focus on examining the cause-effect relationship between sleep duration and depression. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Sustainable Health Management)

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16 pages, 1968 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Asymmetric Effects of Human Health Capital on Economic Growth in China: An Empirical Investigation Based on the NARDL Model

by Wei Jiang and Yadong Wang

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5537; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065537 - 21 Mar 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1972

Abstract

Human health capital is an important factor that affects countries’ economic development. This research explores the nonlinear effect of human health capital on economic growth and assesses the asymmetry over time. We used annual data from 1978 to 2021 in China and the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model to examine the long- and short-term effects of positive and negative human health capital shocks on economic growth. Human health capital is measured by personal health expenditure (PHE), government health expenditure (GHE), and social service expenditure (SSE). A reduction of one unit in short-term private health expenditure leads to a 7.48% decrease in GDP per capita. An increase in private health expenditure leads to an increase in GDP per capita of 3.51%. The positive (

β_{P H E}^{+}

) and negative (

β_{P H E}^{-}

) coefficients of change in long-term private health expenditure are 1.31 and 3.87, respectively. A reduction in short-term government expenditure on health leads to a 10.99% decline in GDP per capita. The positive (

β_{G H E}^{+}

) and negative (

β_{G H E}^{-}

) coefficients of long-term government health expenditure are −4.33 and 1.99, respectively. A one-unit reduction in short-term social service spending leads to a 5.56 percent drop in GDP per capita, while an increase in social service expenditure leads to a 5.97 percent increase in GDP per capita. The positive (

β_{S S E}^{+}

) and negative (

β_{S S E}^{-}

) coefficients of change in long-term social service expenditure are 5.76 and 4.62, respectively. Both private health expenditure and government health expenditure have shown significant asymmetry in their long- and short-term effects on economic growth. Human health capital that is rationally distributed can effectively enhance economic growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Sustainable Health Management)

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19 pages, 559 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Importance of Receiving Training in Computerized Technology for Nurses to Maintain Sustainability in the Health System

by Becky Tsarfati and Daniela Cojocaru

Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15958; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315958 - 30 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2908

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine nurses’ perceptions regarding the usage of computerized technology and to understand the meaning of this technological change in nurses’ work in the context of sustainability. The study was designed as a mixed method and included the following research tools: questionnaires for data collection that were sent via email and semi-structured interviews of nurses, chosen voluntarily and randomly. The data were collected from 214 questionnaires in total, using technology acceptance model questionnaires, and the professional self-identity questionnaire (PSIQ). Moreover, data was collected from 10 in-depth interviews. Subsequently, the data was analyzed to understand the influence of personal, professional, and social factors concerning the usage of computer technology in nursing. The study was undertaken within the understanding that the participation of nurses is essential for the creation of sustainable developments, such as the use of computer technology, eventually leading to an improvement in the quality of care and the health of the community. Years of seniority in nursing, ease of use of technology, technology relevant to the job, and higher output quality, were associated with the most perceived benefits of using technology in a positive correlation. Relative to nurses’ sense of professionalism, there is an understanding that adopting new behavioral functions for their role will lead to promoting the quality of care and improving the health of the community. From the perspective of global sustainability, there is a need to develop methods involving multi-professional teamwork to implement computerized technologies within the country and between countries to improve sustainable conditions in the world. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Sustainable Health Management)

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14 pages, 1123 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Job Characteristics Influence Healthcare Workers’ Happiness: A Serial Mediation Path Based on Autonomous Motivation and Adaptive Performance

by Ana Junça-Silva and Catarina Menino

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14251; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114251 - 1 Nov 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4785

Abstract

Self-determination theory suggests that motivation is multidimensional; as such, there are various dimensions ranging from autonomous (i.e., intrinsic) to more controlled forms (extrinsic) of motivation. While intrinsic motivation appears to be positively related to an individual’s optimal functioning (e.g., happiness and performance), extrinsic motivation appears to be less beneficial. Furthermore, motivation is strongly determined by the context (e.g., job characteristics, such as autonomy). Although the relationship between job characteristics and workers’ motivation has been demonstrated, how it impacts performance and happiness is still to be unpacked. Moreover, it is relevant to analyze such models within healthcare workers; their work is emotionally and psychologically demanding, hence, understanding what drives their intrinsic motivation is of crucial importance. Thereby, the aim of the study was to analyze the mediating role of intrinsic motivation and adaptive performance on the relationship between job characteristics and happiness. Based on the job characteristics model, we proposed a serial path from motivating job characteristics (autonomy, feedback, variety, meaning, and task identity) to healthcare workers’ happiness via intrinsic motivation and adaptive performance, which was justified using the self-determination theory. We also argue that this path would not be significant for extrinsic motivation. We gathered data from 290 healthcare workers from a nursing home. The data were collected at three time points. The results support our hypotheses by demonstrating that all job motivating characteristics (autonomy, feedback, variety, meaning, and task identity) predicted healthcare workers’ happiness by enhancing their intrinsic motivation and leading to better adaptive performances. The results are not significant for extrinsic motivation; that is, the serial mediating path was not significant when extrinsic motivation was analyzed. The findings highlight the need for managers to focus on work design, in a way to promote certain job motivating characteristics (e.g., autonomy), to improve healthcare workers’ motivation, which leads them to achieve greater performances and, consequently, be happier. The study highlights that when healthcare workers have a job that provides them autonomy and regular feedback, with meaningful and varied tasks to which they feel a sense of identification, they tend to feel intrinsically motivated in their work, promoting higher adaptability to daily challenges, and, as a result, leaves them happier. The role of motivation and performance in the happiness of employees in a healthcare setting. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Sustainable Health Management)

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14 pages, 2723 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification of Predictive Nursing Workload Factors: A Six Sigma Approach

by Marcos Buestan and Cinthia Perez

Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13169; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013169 - 13 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3660

Abstract

A balanced nursing workload is crucial for patient and staff safety. Although there are several nursing planning models, there is no generic methodology to identify critical workload factors and their relative impact on different healthcare environments. We propose Six Sigma (SS) as a generic methodology and its DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) framework to identify statistically proven factors that affect nursing workload (NW) in any healthcare environment. Additionally, using a regression model, we estimated their relative importance. For our case study, we found that the number of patients per ward, the number of times medication was administered per shift, the number of nurses and the type of shifts were significant factors in predicting nursing workload. Using their relative importance as input for the nursing planning process, we improved the nursing assignment process performance from 0.09 to 1.05, with an increase in the sigma level from −0.34 to 2.97. Also, we reached the 55% target for the percentage of NW, from a baseline of 50.3%. We also reached the percentage target of NW set by the management of 55%, from the baseline of 50.3%. This study shows that SS can be used effectively to estimate the importance of the main factors that affect nursing workload, providing a methodology to improve the nurse–patient assignment process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Sustainable Health Management)

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8 pages, 240 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Why Is Blood Glucose Control Important to Self-Care of Pregnant Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus?

by Mi-Joon Lee, Bum Jeun Seo and Yeon Sook Kim

Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 9946; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14169946 - 11 Aug 2022

Viewed by 1867

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the change in self-care, self-efficacy, and health status of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and to identify whether blood glucose control influences pregnancy outcomes. This study is experimental research using a one-group pretest-posttest design. The study subjects were 40 pregnant women diagnosed with GDM, and the data were collected in their 24th and 40th week of gestation and analyzed using SPSS 27.0. Paired samples t-test was used to compare the health status, self-care, and self-efficacy of subjects between antepartum and postpartum, and t-test and non-parametric test were used to evaluate the changes in self-care and self-efficacy according to the ability to control blood glucose. As a result of this study, maternal BMI, self-care, and self-efficacy after childbirth were significantly worse than before (p < 0.001). However, HbA1c did not deteriorate and remained at a similar level, which is possibly the effect of diabetes education (p = 0.902). Furthermore, it was found that HbA1c control has a significant effect on preventing a decrease in self-care. In conclusion, it is necessary to develop and apply various diabetes education programs to manage blood glucose levels in pregnant women with GDM as blood glucose control is effective for improving not only their health outcomes but also their cognitive status, such as self-care. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Sustainable Health Management)

10 pages, 247 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Does Health Insurance Reduce the Alcohol Consumption? Evidence from China Health and Nutrition Survey

by Chenhao Yu, Huigang Liang and Zhiruo Zhang

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5693; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095693 - 9 May 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1992

Abstract

Whether health insurance reduces alcohol consumption has been debated. To identify it, the authors used three-wave balance panel data from China Health and Nutrition Survey and applied a two-way fixed-effect model. The authors found that (1) health insurance reduces alcohol consumption, (2) the effect would be deducted when they have been diagnosed with diabetes, (3) the heterogeneity existed between old and young individuals as well as rural and urban areas, those old individuals would behave more cautious, and urban individuals would consume more alcohol. This study identified the effects of health insurance and the moderating effect of diabetes, which were helpful for policymakers to optimize health insurance policy to ensure the sustainability of health insurance and suggested that primary medical staff should assist patients to establish healthy living habits and reduce their risky behaviors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health and Sustainable Health Management)

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