A Systematic Review of Sociodemographic, Macroeconomic, and Health Resources Factors on Life Expectancy

Abstract

Objective This review was aimed at systematically synthesizing and appraising the existing literature of sociodemographic, macroeconomic, and health resources factors on life expectancy. Methods A systematic literature search of English databases, that is, PubMed/MEDLINE were scrutinized for exploring sociodemographic, macroeconomic, and health resources factors on life expectancy. The literature search was conducted in January 2020, covering a total of 46 articles from 2004 to 2019 met the review criteria, which were fully discussed subsequently. Findings Among sociodemographic factors, infant mortality rate, literacy rate, education level, socioeconomic status, population growth, and gender inequality have a significant impact on life expectancy. Gross domestic product, Gini, income level, unemployment rate, and inflation rate are the main macroeconomic factors that significantly correlated with life expectancy. Among various health care resources, health care facilities, the number of the health care profession, public health expenditure, death rates, smoking rate, pollution, and vaccinations had a significant correlation with life expectancy. Conclusions The systematic review showed general conformity of different studies, with a significant association between life expectancy and factors comprising several sociodemographic, macroeconomic, and various health care variables. This review found that only one study examined factors affecting life expectancy in Arabic countries. More studies on this region to fill this research gap were highly recommended.

Factors Impacting Life Expectancy in Bahrain: Evidence from 1971 to 2020 Data

“…From the macroeconomic perspective, most literature proved that there is always a strong relationship between the economy and LE 7,73 . In this model, GDP can show the value of the national output in a period and may grow or rebound quickly during a socioeconomic downturn.…”

“…9,14 In short, health expenditures are always thought to have a direct impact on LE, and several studies have confirmed this relationship; however, a recent systematic review found that macroeconomic (ME) indicators such as GDP, Gini index, inflation rate, and petroleum/fossil fuel export/consumption were almost equally important, along with health care expenditures. 7…”

“…A few studies have explored the impact of HSR, ME, and SD on LE in GCC countries. 7 This study aimed to develop an explanatory model to examine the effects of HSR, ME, and SD on LE in Bahrain. We also hypothesized six possible relationships among three LVs (HSR, ME, and SD) on LE in the theoretical model (H 1 , H 2 , H 3 , H 4 , H 5 , H 6 ) to observe the existence of related positive effects on LE and their positive effect on each other (see Figure 1).…”

“…A systematic review reported that no study has been conducted to explore the impacts of socio-cultural aspects on LE in Bahrain. 7…”

“…6 Besides economic factors, LE can be affected by sociodemographic, health care services, and resource factors. 7 A recent study in Oman highlighted that every country needs a specific model for LE projection according to specific indicators. 8 Hence, this study aimed to develop an explanatory model to examine the impact of health status and resources (HSR), macroeconomic (ME), and sociodemographic (SD) factors on LE in Bahrain.…”