Poor Ali Reza Hadi, Mehdizadeh Parisa, Shokouh Sayyed Morteza Hosseini, Amiri Mohammad Meskarpour
Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Health Management Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Acta Psychol (Amst). 2025 Aug;258:105137. doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105137. Epub 2025 Jun 23.
Cancer is a leading cause of incidence and death globally, and the MENA region, with its diverse socioeconomic and political landscape, exhibits significant disparities in cancer incidence and mortality rate. This study aims to investigate the influence of socioeconomic and political factors on the incidence and mortality rate of the five most common cancers-lung, breast, colorectal, stomach, and prostate-in the MENA region over the past two decades. We conducted a panel data analysis of 23 MENA countries from 2001 to 2020, utilizing data on cancer incidence and mortality from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and socioeconomic and political indicators from the World Bank and United Nations databases. The fixed effects (FE) model was employed to estimate the impact of GDP per capita, mean years of schooling, unemployment rate, and governance quality index on cancer outcomes. Health risk exposure and total health expenditure were included as control variables. The FE model results indicated that higher GDP per capita and improved governance quality were positively associated with cancer incidence but significantly reduced mortality rates, particularly for lung, prostate, and breast cancers. Education and employment also contributed to lower mortality rates, while exposure to health risk factors increased both incidence and mortality. Therefore, improving socioeconomic and political conditions, particularly through sustainable economic growth, enhanced governance, and better education, is crucial for reducing cancer mortality in the MENA region. Policymakers should prioritize these areas to effectively combat the cancer burden and improve public health outcomes.
癌症是全球发病率和死亡率的主要原因之一，中东和北非地区（MENA）由于其多样的社会经济和政治格局，在癌症发病率和死亡率方面存在显著差异。本研究旨在调查过去二十年来社会经济和政治因素对中东和北非地区五种最常见癌症（肺癌、乳腺癌、结直肠癌、胃癌和前列腺癌）发病率和死亡率的影响。我们对2001年至2020年期间23个中东和北非国家进行了面板数据分析，利用了健康指标与评估研究所（IHME）的癌症发病率和死亡率数据以及世界银行和联合国数据库中的社会经济和政治指标。采用固定效应（FE）模型来估计人均国内生产总值、平均受教育年限、失业率和治理质量指数对癌症结果的影响。将健康风险暴露和总卫生支出作为控制变量。固定效应模型结果表明，人均国内生产总值的提高和治理质量的改善与癌症发病率呈正相关，但显著降低了死亡率，特别是对于肺癌、前列腺癌和乳腺癌。教育和就业也有助于降低死亡率，而暴露于健康风险因素会增加发病率和死亡率。因此，改善社会经济和政治条件，特别是通过可持续经济增长、加强治理和更好的教育，对于降低中东和北非地区的癌症死亡率至关重要。政策制定者应优先考虑这些领域，以有效应对癌症负担并改善公共卫生结果。
