Increased consumption of cardiovascular drugs under volume-based procurement (VBP) policy: demand release or assessment inducing?

Background: The phenomenon of growth in drug consumption within the framework of national volume-based procurement (VBP) policy raises speculations about demand release and policy inducing. This study aims to explore the reasons and mechanisms of drug consumption increases following VBP policy from two perspectives.

Methods: We collected data from the China Drug Supply Information Platform, National Bureau of Statistics and the Joint Procurement Office.

Influencing factors, gender differences and the decomposition of inequalities in cognitive function in Chinese older adults: a population-based cohort study.

Background: Evidence remains limited and inconsistent for assessing cognitive function in Chinese older adults (CFCOA) and inequalities in cognitive function in Chinese older adults (ICFCOA) and exploring their influencing factors and gender differences. This study aimed to identify influencing factors and inequality in CFCOA to empirically explore the existence and sources of gender differences in such inequality and analyse their heterogeneous effects.

Methods: Based on data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) for three periods from 2011 to 2015, recentered influence function unconditional quantile regression (RIF-UQR) and recentered influence function ordinary least squares (RIF-OLS) regression were applied to assess influencing factors of CFCOA, while grouped treatment effect estimation, Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition, and propensity score matching (PSM) methods were conducted to identify gender differences in ICFCOA and influencing factors, respectively.

Association between exposure to ambient air pollution and hospital admission, incidence, and mortality of stroke: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of more than 23 million participants.

Background: Previous studies have suggested that exposure to air pollution may increase stroke risk, but the results remain inconsistent. Evidence of more recent studies is highly warranted, especially gas air pollutants.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science to identify studies till February 2020 and conducted a meta-analysis on the association between air pollution (PM, particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Compliance Behaviors among Middle-Aged and Older Hypertensive Patients in China: Results from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

Partial or total non-adherence has been recognized as major issues in the long-term management of hypertension. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of compliance behaviors among Chinese middle-aged and older hypertensive patients. A sample of 6308 hypertensive patients aged ≥45 years was obtained from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) data.

Relationship between the Number of Noncommunicable Diseases and Health-Related Quality of Life in Chinese Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

China has the largest population of older adults, most of whom suffer from one or more noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The harm of the number of NCDs on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of older adults should be taken seriously. A sample of 5166 adults, aged 60 years and older, was included in this study.

The Relationship between the Number of Daily Health-Related Behavioral Risk Factors and Sleep Health of the Elderly in China.

This study examined the cross-sectional association among a number of daily health-related behavioral risk factors and sleep among Chinese elderly. A sample of 4993 adults, aged 60 years and older, from the China's Health-Related Quality of Life Survey for Older Adults 2018 was included in this study. Five daily health-related behaviors, which included smoking, drinking, unhealthy eating habits, insufficient leisure activities, and physical inactivity were measured.

Lung Cancer Mortality Trends in China from 1988 to 2013: New Challenges and Opportunities for the Government.

: As lung cancer has shown a continuously increasing trend in many countries, it is essential to stay abreast of lung cancer mortality information and take informed actions with a theoretical basis derived from appropriate and practical statistical methods. : Age-specific rates were collected by gender and region (urban/rural) and analysed with descriptive methods and age-period-cohort models to estimate the trends in lung cancer mortality in China from 1988 to 2013. : Descriptive analysis revealed that the age-specific mortality rates of lung cancer in rural residents increased markedly over the last three decades, and there was no obvious increase in urban residents.