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Abstract: The crisis engendered by the appointment of a female chief to succeed her father in southern Zimbabwe is used to discuss how an extended case can inform us about [...]

Byline: Petter Lundborg (1), Bjorn Lindgren (1) Keywords: smoking; risk perception; young people Abstract: Cross-sectional survey data on Swedish adolescents aged 12--18 was used to analyse perceived risks of smoking-related lung cancer, the determinants of these risk perceptions, and how these perceptions related to smoking behaviour. Three major conclusions were drawn: (1) that both smokers and non-smokers overestimated the risks of lung cancer, (2) that these risk perceptions fell substantially with age, but nevertheless implied risk overestimation, and (3) that individuals with higher perceived risks were less likely to be smokers but that risk beliefs had no effect on the number of cigarettes smoked. Author Affiliation: (1) Lund University Centre for Health Economics (LUCHE), Department of Community Medicine, Lund University, P.O. Box 705, 220 07, Lund, Sweden Article History: Registration Date: 02/10/2004

ABSTRACT Since the late 1960s, researchers have primarily regarded ethnicity as the result of increasing international relations, and thus often as a comparative phenomenon. Although this research has been immensely [...]

This paper develops a theoretical model of the family as producer of health- and social capital. There are both direct and indirect returns on the production and accumulation of health- and social capital. Direct returns (the consumption motives) result since health and social capital both enhance individual welfare per se. Indirect returns (the investment motives) result since health capital increases the amount of productive time, and social capital improves the efficiency of the production technology used for producing health capital. The main prediction of the theoretical model is that the amount of social capital is positively related to the level of health; individuals with high levels of social capital are healthier than individuals with lower levels of social capital, ceteris paribus. An empirical model is estimated, using a set of individual panel data from three different time periods in Sweden. We find that social capital is positively related to the level of health capital, which supports the theoretical model. Further, we find that the level of social capital (1) declines with age, (2) is lower for those married or cohabiting, and (3) is lower for men than for women. Keywords: Health; Family; Human capital; Social capital; Grossman model; Sweden

Byline: Petter Lundborg (1), Bjorn Lindgren (1) Keywords: alcohol consumption; risk perception; youth Abstract: Swedish cross-sectional survey data on young individuals was used to analyse the determinants of perceived risks of alcohol use and how these perceptions relate to drinking behaviour. Three major conclusions were drawn: (1) that people overestimate the risks of alcoholism, (2) that these risk perceptions fall substantially with age, but nevertheless imply risk overestimation, and (3) that education about alcohol, narcotics and tobacco leads individuals to perceive risks more correctly and to have lower risk beliefs. An additional finding was that individuals with higher perceived risks were less likely to consume alcohol. Equations were estimated both separately and simultaneously. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Economics and Department of Community Medicine, Lund University Centre for Health Economics (LUCHE), Lund University, Sweden Article History: Registration Date: 10/10/2004

An analysis of the correlation between the labor market and allocation of employers' investments in their employees' health in UK is offered. Additional information on the employers' incentives to invest in the health of family members and the family as a producer of health investments in a demand-for-health model is included.

Use of the Grossman model for the economic analysis of health behavior at family level is discussed. Additional information on the strategic interaction of spouses in the production of their own health and health of other family members is included.

Divorce is found to affect the level of health care received in a family, especially by the children. Family health agreements can be affected by unemployment, for example. Courts need to consider child and parent health care when settling divorces.

We argue that the group-centred analyses of social epidemiology should follow from theoretical considerations that take the situation of the individual as their natural starting point. In a tentative dialogue between economics and sociology, we develop a framework for the analysis of health-related behaviour. Such behaviour is modelled as a process of decision-making at the individual level. Within economics, we draw specifically on the demand-for-health literature and the new institutional economics. Within sociology, Bourdieu's habitus theory is presented in combination with a macro-structural approach where the focus is on the process of individualization. The relationship between these different approaches to health-related behaviour and their implications is discussed. We find that the encounter between different sciences provides valuable insights for future work in the socio-epidemiological tradition. Key words - economics, sociology, health, behaviour, social differences

Medical treatment is increasingly subject to economic analysis. In particular, medications are studied in terms of cost-benefit ratios, and this information is used to determine 'reasonable' prices for drugs. The cost of developing new drugs is enormous, $125 million or more, and pharmaceutical manufacturers undertake research and development only with the understanding that patent law and pricing will protect the income from that drug for a set period of years. As health resources become more limited, and reimbursement for medical treatment by insurance companies and others is subjected to stricter guidelines, new principles may be used in the pricing of a new drug, including cost-benefit analysis. The stability of these principles is important for long-term research planning by drug manufacturers, but consensus in this area among government agencies, medical institutions, payers, and others is only beginning to be obtained. This situation is discussed, along with an example of cost-benefit analysis for two antihypertensive drugs, atenolol and doxazosin. Both drugs increase life expectancy and reduce future costs for treating stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD). However, atenolol, an established drug, raises the blood levels of fats, which increases the risk for CHD. In contrast, doxazosin, a new drug, has favorable effects on the ratio of HDL (high density lipoprotein)-cholesterol to total cholesterol. The overall result is that doxazosin is more cost-effective than atenolol, even if the price is 30 percent more than atenolol. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Focuses on the enactment of traffic safety legislation in Sweden. Details on the mandatory motor vehicle and trailer safety checkups; Effects of vehicle safety devices on the rate of highway accidents; Response of drivers to the lowered speed limits policy.

Examines the cost effective method of antibiotic prophylaxis against infection for patients undergoing total joint replacement in Sweden. Relation between cost of prophylaxis and surgical operations; Incidence of deep sepsis associated with prophylactic; Use of parenteral and local antibiotics in reducing infection.