Neoliberal capitalist ideology, climate culpability, physical inactivity, and NCD mortality in 124 countries
Oral Presentation C13.6
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.730Keywords:
Climate Change, Global Warming, Global Health, Non-Communicable Disease (NCD), Physical ActivityAbstract
Background: Physical inactivity is known as a top cause of global NCD-mortality. However, physical inactivity may be as much of an outcome of broader structural factors than within individual volitional control. Objective: To examine the relationship between neoliberal capitalist ideology (hereafter, neoliberal ideology) and non-communicable diseases (NCD)-mortality in 124 countries, focusing on the degree to which climate culpability and physical inactivity are implicated in explaining that relationship. Methods: The economic freedom of the world index of the Fraser Institute (representing neoliberal ideology), CO2 emissions (metric tons/capita) from the World Bank (representing climate culpability), and the World Health Organization’s age-adjusted physical inactivity and NCD-mortality data were used. Covariates included gross domestic product (GDP)/capita, the country-level prevalence of obesity, tobacco smoking, and alcohol consumption. Results: Neoliberal ideology was positively associated with NCD, and such association was most pronounced in less culpable countries. Neoliberal ideology was also positively associated with NCD-mortality, after controlling for GDP, climate culpability, and tobacco smoking, regardless of different levels of physical inactivity. However, when alcohol consumption was accounted for, physical inactivity moderated the association between neoliberal ideology and NCD-mortality. Conclusions: Neoliberal ideology was consistently associated with NCD-mortality, regardless of physical inactivity. Also, NCD-mortality was also higher in countries that are less culpable for climate change. Our findings offer preliminary evidence-based support for a shift in thinking toward the fundamental determinants of health and calls for an upstream shift in climate change mitigation interventions to improve population health through the creation of equitable global political and economic systems. Funding: The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this work.
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Copyright (c) 2021 Eun-Young Lee, Jeffrey Masuda
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