Milon, Alexand a Gab iela; D agoş, C is ian Mihai; Ve eş, Vincenţiu And ei; Baciu,
Leonina; Ma e, Roxana
A icle
Spo s and clean en i onmen : Key d i e s o heal h and
longe i y in he Eu opean Union
Am i ea u Economic
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
The Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Milon, Alexand a Gab iela; D agoş, C is ian Mihai; Ve eş, Vincenţiu And ei; Baciu,
Leonina; Ma e, Roxana (2024) : Spo s and clean en i onmen : Key d i e s o heal h and longe i y in
he Eu opean Union, Am i ea u Economic, ISSN 2247-9104, The Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic
S udies, Bucha es , Vol. 26, Iss. 67, pp. 975-990,
h ps://doi.o g/10.24818/EA/2024/67/975
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Am i ea u Economic ecommends
AE
Vol. 26 • No. 67 • Augus 2024 975
SPORTS AND CLEAN ENVIRONMENT: KEY DRIVERS OF HEALTH
AND LONGEVITY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
Alexand a Gab iela Milon1, C is ian Mihai D agoş2
*
,
Vincenţiu And ei Ve eş3 , Leonina Baciu4 and Roxana Ma e5
1) Bogdan-Vodă Uni e si y o Cluj Napoca, Romania
2)3)4) Babeș-Bolyai Uni e si y o Cluj Napoca, România
5) Technical Uni e si y o Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Please ci e his a icle as:
Milon, A.G., D agoș, C.M., Ve eș, V.A., Baciu, L and
Ma e, R., 2024. Spo s and Clean En i onmen : Key
D i e s o Heal h and Longe i y in he Eu opean Union.
Am i ea u Economic, 26(67), pp. 975-990.
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.24818/EA/2024/67/975
A icle His o y
Recei ed: 15 Ma ch 2024
Re ised: 10 May 2024
Accep ed: 14 June 2024
Abs ac
This a icle highligh s he e ec s o spo s pa icipa ion and en i onmen al heal h on he
li espan and o e all heal h o he popula ion o he membe s a es o he Eu opean Union.
U ilizing da a om 2010 o 2022, he s udy co e s all EU coun ies, o e ing a comp ehensi e
o e iew o he egion's heal h dynamics. Th ough desc ip i e analyses o geog aphic
dis ibu ions o indica o s and panel da a econome ics, clea con inen al dispa i ies eme ge,
no ably be ween he No hwes and Sou heas ega ding bo h he equency o spo s ac i i y
and en i onmen al heal h condi ions. To mi iga e he po en ial con ounding e ec s esul ing
om he s ong co ela ions be ween he a iables spo s and en i onmen a iables and he
g oss domes ic p oduc pe capi a, he a iables we e s anda dised. This me hodological
conside a ion ensu es a mo e accu a e assessmen o he di ec impac s o spo s pa icipa ion
and en i onmen al heal h on li espan and disabili y-adjus ed li e expec ancy. The eg ession
esul s e eal highly signi ican posi i e in luences o popula ion pa icipa ion in spo s and
en i onmen al heal h s a us on bo h li espan and heal h quali y, con i ming he esea ch
hypo heses. Among con ol a iables, he mos s a is ically signi ican include heal h
inancing, he o e all ins i u ion quali y, spo s unding, and li es yle indica o s.
Keywo ds: public heal h, li e expec ancy, panel da a, spo s, en i onmen al quali y
JEL Classi ica ion: I15, Q56, Z20
*
Co esponding au ho , C is ian Mihai D agoş – e-mail: c is ian.d ag[email p o ec ed]. o
This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion License, which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in
any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed. © 2024 The Au ho (s).
AE
Spo s and Clean En i onmen : Key D i e s o Heal h
and Longe i y in he Eu opean Union
976 Am i ea u Economic
In oduc ion
Inc eased li e expec ancy and imp o ed heal h among he popula ion ha e p o ound posi i e
e ec s on bo h he economy and socie y. Enhanced heal h con ibu es o economic
compe i i eness by c ea ing a mo e dynamic and p oduc i e labou o ce, capable o d i ing
inno a ion and p og ess. This heal hie wo k o ce no only is is mo e mo i a ed and
op imis ic,, bu also b ings a weal h o expe ience and knowledge o he able, en iching he
o e all skill se a ailable o economic de elopmen . Fu he mo e, a popula ion wi h highe
li e expec ancy and be e heal h ends o place a g ea e alue on educa ion, which in u n
suppo s in o he cycle o inno a ion and he adop ion o inno a i e echnologies. On an
indi idual le el, good heal h is decisi e o pe sonal well-being, enabling people o li e
ulle , mo e ac i e li es and educing he bu den o heal hca e cos s. This indi idual well-
being ansla es in o s onge social wel a e, since heal hie indi iduals con ibu e mo e
signi ican ly o hei communi ies and economies. In addi ion, imp o emen s in heal h and
li e expec ancy can lead o changes in demog aphic s uc u e, wi h a highe p opo ion o he
popula ion being ac i e and p oduc i e o longe pe iods. This demog aphic shi suppo s
sus ainable economic g ow h and socie al p og ess, as i encou ages he de elopmen and
implemen a ion o inno a i e echnologies and solu ions adap ed o he e ol ing needs o a
changing popula ion.
The de e minan s o heal h and longe i y in a popula ion a e composi e and connec ed,
e lec ing he complexi y o ac o s ha in luence well-being and li e span. Income le el and
dis ibu ion play a c i ical ole, as hey a ec access o nu i ious ood, heal hca e se ices,
and li ing condi ions conduci e o heal h. Fo ins ance, a balanced die and egula physical
ac i i y, including spo s, a e undamen al o main aining a heal hy li es yle, ye hei
adop ion is hea ily in luenced by one's socioeconomic s a us. In con as , nega i e heal h
beha iou s such as smoking, excessi e alcohol consump ion, and excessi e wo k can
signi ican ly signi ican ly educe om heal h and longe i y, o en exace ba ed by s ess and
men al heal h challenges. Accessibili y and a o dabili y o heal hca e, along wi h he
e iciency o heal hca e sys ems and inancing me hods, c i ically de e mine he ex en o
which popula ions can ob ain he he necessa y medical ca e and p e en i e se ices. This
includes accina ions and disease p e en ion p og ammes, which a e decisi e in managing
public heal h. Gene ics also con ibu es o puzzle o heal h and longe i y by p edisposing
indi iduals o ce ain heal h condi ions, al hough hei e ec s can be mi iga ed o exace ba ed
by en i onmen al and li es yle ac o s. Educa ion eme ges as a powe ul de e minan ,
empowe ing indi iduals wi h knowledge abou heal hy beha iou s and he impo ance o
seeking medical ca e when needed. Fu he mo e, public heal h policies ha p omo e heal h
educa ion, en i onmen al p o ec ion, and equi able access o access o heal hca e a e essen ial
o imp o e he heal h o popula ion. Social suppo and s ong communi y ne wo ks o e
psychological and emo ional bene i s ha can imp o e men al heal h, educe s ess, and
encou age he adop ion o heal hy beha iou s. Finally, he ecology o he li ing en i onmen ,
including he quali y o ai , wa e , and soil, and he p esence o pollu ion, di ec ly impac s
heal h, unde sco ing he impo ance o en i onmen al p o ec ion as a public heal h p io i y.
Toge he , hese ac o s illus a e he in ica e web o de e minan s ha in luence heal h and
longe i y, which equi es widesp ead s a egies o p omo e public heal h and well-being.
Na ional li e expec ancy and public heal h le els a e in luenced by a wide ange o ac o s o
a ying na u e. The li e a u e explo es a ious causal ela ionships, bu he e exis s a gap:
Am i ea u Economic ecommends
AE
Vol. 26 • No. 67 • Augus 2024 977
ew s udies accu a ely quan i y he e ec s o spo s pa icipa ion and en i onmen al quali y
due o hei co ela ions wi h economic de elopmen and o he mac oeconomic a iables.
The main objec i e o ou s udy is o demons a e he impac o spo s and en i onmen al
quali y by isola ing he e ec s o o he de e minan s.
The a icle begins wi h a e iew o he li e a u e ha ocusses on he de e minan s o na ional
heal h and li e expec ancy, highligh ing cu en deba es and esea ch gaps. In he Resea ch
me hodology sec ion, i de ails he da abase comp ising OECD coun ies, including a iables
on na ional heal h, longe i y, po en ial spo s and en i onmen al de e minan s, alongside
o he con ol a iables, and explains he panel eg ession equa ions u ilised in he s udy. The
Resul s and Discussion sec ion ou lines key ends om he s a is ical analysis, compa ing
hese indings wi h hose om simila s udies. Finally, he conclusions o e a summa y o
he esea ch's main insigh s, acknowledging i s limi a ions, and sugges ing di ec ions o
u u e esea ch, alongside policy implica ions de i ed om he s udy’s indings.
1. Li e a u e e iew
The li e a u e on he de e minan s o popula ion heal h and li e expec ancy is ex ensi e, ye
his li e a u e e iew does no aim o ully in es iga e he nume ous ac o s ha in luence
heal h and longe i y on a na ional le el. Ins ead, we ocus on he impac s o en i onmen al
heal h and he p ac ice o spo s and physical ac i i y, examining bo h he heo e ical
mechanisms o in e ac ion and empi ical s udies conce ned wi h his opic. Ou analysis o
he li e a u e is s uc u ed in o h ee pa s: (i) he e ec s o economic, social, educa ional,
li es yle, gene ic ac o s, public heal h policies, and social suppo ; (ii) he e ec s o
pa icipa ing in spo s; and (iii) he e ec s o en i onmen al heal h. This s uc u ed app oach
allows us o explo e how hese ac o s collec i ely in luence heal h and longe i y.
1.1. Va ious de e minan s o li e expec ancy and public heal h
Socio-economic ac o s, such as income le el, educa ion, and employmen s a us, ha e a
p o ound impac on public heal h and longe i y ( Sowa e al., 2016; Assa i, 2018) as hey
de e mine access o heal hca e, nu i ious ood, and heal hy li ing condi ions. These ac o s
con ibu e o dispa i ies in heal h ou comes and li e expec ancy (Singh and Siahpush, 2014),
wi h a a highe socioeconomic s a us o en co ela ed wi h be e heal h indica o s and longe
li es due o imp o ed access o esou ces ha p omo e heal hy li es yles and p e en disease.
The choices people make abou hei die , smoking, alcohol consump ion, and d ug use
(Giacosa e al, 2016) play a c ucial ole in de e mining hei heal h and longe i y (Rizzu o
and F a iglioli, 2014). A balanced die and egula exe cise can p e en ch onic diseases such
as obesi y, diabe es, and hea disease, hus ex ending li e expec ancy (Ande son and
Du s ine, 2019). On he con a y, smoking, excessi e alcohol consump ion, and d ug abuse
a e linked o a ange o heal h p oblems, including cance s and ca dio ascula diseases,
which can signi ican ly educe li e expec ancy (Li e al., 2020). Accessibili y, a o dabili y,
and quali y o heal hca e se ices a e essen ial o main ain public heal h and ex end li e
expec ancy ( D agoş e al., 2022; Fahle i e al., 2023). Access o p e en i e ca e and imely
ea men can mi iga e he impac o diseases and imp o e su i al a es. Howe e , ba ie s
o heal hca e ca e, such as high cos s and lack o se ices, can p e en indi iduals om
ecei ing he he necessa y ca e, leading o wo se heal h ou comes and sho e li es. Gene ics
also play an impo an ole in de e mining suscep ibili y o ce ain diseases and o e all
longe i y. Al hough gene ic p edisposi ions can inc ease he isk o diseases such as hea
AE
Spo s and Clean En i onmen : Key D i e s o Heal h
and Longe i y in he Eu opean Union
978 Am i ea u Economic
disease, cance , and diabe es (Yasmin e al., 2021), he exp ession o hese genes can o en
be in luenced by li es yle choices and en i onmen al ac o s, highligh ing he complex
in e play be ween gene ics and o he de e minan s o heal h. Educa ion in luences heal h and
longe i y (Sa elye e al., 2022; K iebs, 2023) by empowe ing indi iduals wi h he
knowledge o make in o med decisions abou hei heal h. Educa ed indi iduals a e mo e
likely o engage in heal hy beha iou s, access heal hca e se ices, and na iga e he heal hca e
sys em e ec i ely, leading o be e heal h ou comes and longe li e expec ancy. E ec i e
public heal h policies and p og ammes ha p omo e accina ions, disease p e en ion, and
heal h educa ion can ha e a signi ican posi i e impac on communi y heal h and longe i y
(Edelman and Kudzma, 2021). By add essing widesp ead heal h isks and educa ing he
public, hese ini ia i es can educe he incidence o p e en able diseases and inc ease li e
expec ancy. S ong social and communi y ne wo ks p o ide emo ional suppo , educe s ess,
and encou age heal hy beha iou s, all o which con ibu e o be e men al and physical
heal h (Lin and Kisho e, 2021). The sense o belonging and suppo om social ne wo ks
can mo i a e indi iduals o main ain heal hy li es yles and seek help when needed, posi i ely
a ec ing hei heal h and longe i y. All hese elemen s (like how we li e, ou heal hca e,
genes, educa ion, public heal h e o s, and ou suppo om iends and communi y) wo k
oge he o a ec ou heal h and how long we li e, and aking ca e o all hese aspec s is he
he key o be e heal h and longe li es o e e yone.
1.2. E ec s o spo s and physical ac i i ies
Spo s and physical ac i i ies signi ican ly con ibu e o na ional heal h and longe i y,
o e ing ex ensi e bene i s ha ex end beyond he me e physiological o include psychosocial
imp o emen s and a educ ion in unheal hy habi s like alcohol consump ion (Malm e al.,
2019). These ac i i ies play a c ucial ole in comba ing seden a ism and obesi y, highligh ing
he need o mode a e physical ac i i y as a p e en i e measu e agains men al heal h issues
and ad oca ing o pa icipa ion ailo ed o indi idual needs (Malm e al., 2019).
Daskalopoulou e al. (2019) unde sco e he posi i e co ela ion be ween physical ac i i y and
heal hy ageing, e idenced in nume ous s udies, and call o s anda disa ion in heal h and
ac i i y me ics and an emphasis on objec i e assessmen s. Resea ch by Hame e al. (2014)
shows ha e en he ini ia ion o mode a e o igo ous physical ac i i y la e in li e la e in
li e con ibu es signi ican ly o heal hy ageing, highligh ing he alue o physical ac i i y o
main ain heal h in olde adul s. Chudasama e al. (2019) ound ha physical ac i i y educes
mo ali y isk and inc eases li e expec ancy in people wi h and wi hou mul imo bidi y, wi h
highe le els o le els o ac i i y o e ing g ea e bene i s, especially o hose wi h mul iple
heal h condi ions. This sugges s he impo ance o physical ac i i y as a key li es yle
beha iou o imp o ed heal h ou comes h oughou li e. Ozemek e al. (2019) highligh he
dange s o physical inac i i y and seden a y beha iou , no ing hei signi ican con ibu ion
o he isk o ch onic diseases and educed li e expec ancy. Add essing he widesp ead
p oblem o inac i i y could lead o subs an ial inc eases in na ional li e expec ancy,
unde lining he u gen need o policies and p og ammes ha encou age physical ac i i y a
all ages. Collec i ely, hese s udies unde sco e he c i ical ole o spo s and physical
ac i i ies in enhancing heal h and ex ending li e expec ancy a he na ional le el. They
ad oca e o policies ha educe inac i i y, encou age ac i e li es yles, and ecognise he
b oad spec um o bene i s ha physical ac i i y b ings o public heal h.
Am i ea u Economic ecommends
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1.3. E ec s o en i onmen al quali y
The quali y o he en i onmen al, le els o pollu ion, and ecological p ac ices wi hin a
coun y signi ican ly impac he heal h and longe i y o i s popula ion. Balak ishnan e al.
(2019) highligh he se e e ai pollu ion c isis in India, whe e educing pollu ion le els
signi ican ly could inc ease li e expec ancy, calling o comp ehensi e policy in e en ions,
especially in less de eloped egions. Kelly and Fussell (2015) poin ou ha despi e ai
quali y imp o emen s, many in Eu ope s ill li e in a eas no mee ing heal h-based ai quali y
s anda ds, wi h pa icula e ma e pollu ion a ec ing a b oade ange o heal h ou comes han
p e iously unde s ood, necessi a ing a holis ic app oach o pollu ion educ ion. Yin e al.
(2020) no e China’s success in educing ai pollu ion h ough s ingen emission con ols, ye
acknowledge ha ai quali y s ill alls sho o WHO guidelines, wi h pe sis en heal h isks
indica ing he ongoing need o sus ainable de elopmen policies. Eckelman e al. (2020)
epo an inc ease in g eenhouse gas emissions om he US heal h ca e sec o , unde sco ing
he possibili y o educing en i onmen al impac wi hou comp omising heal h ca e quali y
h ough be e esou ce managemen and policy en o cemen . Eckelman & She man (2016)
demons a e ha he US heal h ca e sec o is a majo con ibu o o na ional pollu ion, wi h
i s emissions leading o signi ican public heal h damages, emphasising he sec o 's need o
en i onmen al imp o emen s. These s udies collec i ely illus a e he c i ical ela ionship
be ween en i onmen al ac o s and na ional heal h ou comes, showing ha , while signi ican
s ides ha e been made in he igh agains pollu ion, much emains o be done in e ms o
policy, moni o ing, and sus ainable p ac ices o p o ec public heal h and ex end li e
expec ancy. The need o a ge ed ac ions ac oss a ious sec o s, including heal h ca e, o
enhance en i onmen al pe o mance and mi iga e he ad e se e ec s o pollu ion is e iden ,
as is he po en ial o imp o ing heal h ou comes h ough conce ed e o s a bo h he
na ional and local le els.
Summa ising om he li e a u e e iew, he e is a ocus on iden i ying key de e minan s o
heal h and longe i y bo h a an indi idual and na ional le el, wi h a heo e ical app oach
o en p e e ed o explo ing causal ela ionships. Al hough some empi ical esea ch
add esses socioeconomic de e minan s and heal h sys em pe o mance, he impac o spo s
and en i onmen al quali y on heal h and longe i y is less s a is ically highligh ed
in e na ionally, la gely due o s ong co ela ions wi h economic de elopmen and heal h ca e
unding. In ou a icle, we pa icula ly emphasise he mac oeconomic e ec s o spo s and
en i onmen al quali y on heal h and longe i y, conside ing o he de e minan s as con ol
ac o s, in line wi h he s a ed objec i es and esea ch hypo heses o he s udy.
H1: Widesp ead pa icipa ion in spo s has posi i e e ec s on heal h and longe i y a he
na ional le el. This hypo hesis sugges s ha pa icipa ing in physical ac i i ies in a b oad
popula ion segmen p omo es be e heal h ou comes by educing he incidence o ch onic
diseases, imp o ing men al heal h, and imp o ing he o e all quali y o li e, con ibu ing hus
o an inc ease in he a e age li espan.
H2: The quali y and p o ec ion o he en i onmen in a coun y posi i ely in luence bo h li e
expec ancy and public heal h. This hypo hesis sugges s ha a cleane and mo e p o ec ed
en i onmen educes pollu ion and en i onmen al haza ds, leading o ewe heal h issues
among he popula ion, such as espi a o y diseases and alle gies, hus imp o ing gene al
public heal h and con ibu ing o longe li e expec ancy.
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Spo s and Clean En i onmen : Key D i e s o Heal h
and Longe i y in he Eu opean Union
980 Am i ea u Economic
2. Resea ch me hodology
To achie e he objec i e p oposed in his s udy, we use panel da a econome ics. We i s
desc ip i ely isualise and analyse he da a. As ou sample consis s o he 27 coun ies o he
Eu opean Union, we p esen he desc ip i e assessmen based on maps. This app oach allows
us o di ec ly link he spa ial dis ibu ion o he wo main ac o s, spo s and en i onmen , o
o he de elopmen aspec s ha a e al eady known o membe s o he Eu opean Union.
Addi ionally, maps allow he e alua ion o spa ial pa e ns such as clus e ing. In he
isualisa ion app oach, we p esen he qua ile maps o he wo main de e minan s, bo h as
s andalone a iables (le pa s o igu es no. 1 and 2) and in a ela i e o m, based on he
GDP o each coun y. The qua ile maps di ide he sample in o ou equal g oups based on
he alues o he a iables.
A e he desc ip i e e alua ion, we p oceed wi h he es ima ion p ocess, o assess i he
conside ed de e minan s signi ican ly impac he quali y o li e om a heal h pe spec i e in
he Eu opean Union membe s. Be o e he es ima ion, we conduc ed all p e-es ima ion es s
like s a iona i y and au oco ela ion assessmen s.
Ou sample consis s o he 27 coun ies o he Eu opean Union. As such, ixed e ec s a e
expec ed o mani es . Bu among he ac o a iables he e a e also some ha a e cons an
o e ime, such as, o example, Ho s ede’s cul u al dimensions. Due o his, he panel ixed
e ec s model canno be es ima ed. Va iables ha a e ixed in ime equi e he andom e ec s
es ima ions. As he desc ip i e analysis poin s ou , he e is signi ican he e ogenei y in ou
panel. To accoun o his he e ogenei y, we do no es ima e he models in he classical
andom e ec s app oach, bu using he Maximum Likelihood me hod o ully maximise he
likelihood o he esul ed models. Ou gene al model is gi en by equa ion (1):
𝐷𝐸𝑃𝑖𝑡 =∝𝑖+∑𝛽𝑘
𝑚
𝑘=1 𝑋𝑘𝑖𝑡 + 𝜀𝑖𝑡 (1)
Whe e:
DEP = he dependen a iable
X = he ec o o explana o y a iables
m = he numbe o independen a iables
k = indexes he a iables
i = indexes he obse a ions, in ou case, he coun ies
= indices he ime, in ou case, he yea s in he analysed pe iod.
Fo obus ness easons, we employ wo dependen a iables, opposi e in meaning, and add
con ol a iables (deno ed as he j index in ou speci ica ions). Addi ionally, he main goal is
o add ess he impac o spo and en i onmen al p o ec ion on a heal hy li e. As such,
equa ion (1) becomes:
𝐿𝐼𝐹𝐸_𝐸𝑋𝑃𝑖𝑡 =∝𝑖+ 𝛽1𝑆𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑠𝑖𝑡 + 𝛽2𝐸𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡 + ∑𝛽𝑗
𝑟
𝑗=3 𝑋𝑗𝑖𝑡 + 𝜀𝑖𝑡 (2)
𝐷𝐴𝐿𝑌𝑖𝑡 =∝𝑖+ 𝛽1𝑆𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑠𝑖𝑡 + 𝛽2𝐸𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡 + ∑𝛽𝑗
𝑟
𝑗=3 𝑋𝑗𝑖𝑡 + 𝜀𝑖𝑡 (3)
We p esen in able no. 1 he coe icien s, along wi h he signi icance le el deno ed by he
s a s and he s anda d e o s. To accoun o model quali y, we p esen he numbe o
obse a ions, he log-likelihood o he es ima ion p ocess, he Likelihood Ra io LR Chi2 es
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o he o e all goodness o i o he model and he Likelihood Ra io LR es o panel e ec s,
bo h wi h he signi icance le el. The Likelihood Ra io es s compa e he models in di e en
es ima ion s ages. The gene al LR p ocedu e is gi en by equa ion (4):
𝐿𝑅 = −2ln 𝐿(𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑙1)
𝐿(𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑙2) (4)
Whe e L is he likelihood o he model, wi h model 1 being always he mo e es ic i e one.
Analyses we e pe o med in Tableau 2023.4 (desc ip i e analysis and da a isualisa ion) and
STATA 16 (desc ip i e analysis and model es ima ion).
Table no. 1. Va iables used and desc ip i e s a is ics
Va iable
Explana ions
Mean
S d.
De .$
Min
Max
Dependen a iables
LIFE_EXP
Li e expec ancy a bi h o he na ional
popula ion gi en in yea s.
79.7
2.92
73.3
83.7
DALY
Disabili y Adjus ed Li e Yea s. Yea s o
po en ial li e los due o p ema u e
mo ali y + yea s o p oduc i e li e los
due o disabili y.
21585
3254
17667
31350
Main ac o s
SPORT_REL
The ela i e alues o spo s pe o mance
h ough he s anda dised di e ence in
ela ion o GDP pe capi a.
-0.3
18.9
-50.6
36.0
ENVIR_REL
Rela i e alues o en i onmen al heal h,
by he s anda dised di e ence in ela ion
o GDP pe capi a.
2.8
20.9
-73.8
59.2
Con ol a iables
HEALTH_CAP
Public inancing o he heal h sys em pe
capi a, in housands o dolla s.
294.8
196.8
42.3
738.8
SPORT_CAP
Public inancing o he spo sys em, pe
capi a, in housands o dolla s.
0.13
0.12
0.007
0.63
ENVIR_CAP
Public inancing de o ed o
en i onmen al p o ec ion pe capi a, in
housands o USD.
0.26
0.21
0.04
1.26
FRUITS
F ui supply gi en in kilog ammes pe
capi a pe yea .
81.0
27.9
28.4
151.0
VEGETAB
Vege able supply gi en in kilos pe capi a
pe yea .
112.2
46.7
53.8
349.9
SUGAR
Suga supply gi en in kilog ammes pe
capi a pe yea .
52.2
27.1
25.5
171.1
ALCOHOL
Alcohol consump ion, li es pe capi a,
15+.
9.93
1.76
5.4
14.7
INDULG
Indulgence. The ex en o which a socie y
allows ela i ely ee g a i ica ion o basic
and na u al human d i es ela ed o
enjoying li e and ha ing un.
42.7
18.8
13.0
78.0
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Va iable
Explana ions
Mean
S d.
De .$
Min
Max
INSTIT
The global quali y o ins i u ions in a
coun y, measu ed as he a e age o he
six a iables o Wo ldwide Go e nance
Indica o s.
0.97
0.79
-0.02
1.88
EH
En i onmen al heal h e alua es he
e ec i eness o coun ies in p o ec ing
hei popula ions om en i onmen al
haza ds.
82.7
12.5
43.2
100
SPORT
Sha e o he adul popula ion who
egula ly plays spo .
42.9
18.1
6.3
75.8
GDP_CAP
GDP pe capi a, in housands o US.
34.37
23.37
6.86
126.4
No e: S d.de . = s anda d de ia ion.
Mos o he a iables in he s udy we e aken di ec ly om in e na ional da a sou ces.
Howe e , o he a iables SPORT_REL and ENVIR_REL, we employ ou own
ma hema ical cons uc ions.
𝑆𝑃𝑂𝑅𝑇_𝑅𝐸𝐿𝑖=100 ∫1
√2𝜋 𝑒−𝑡2
2𝑑𝑡
𝑆𝑃𝑂𝑅𝑇𝑖−𝑚𝑖
𝜎𝑖
−∞ −100∫1
√2𝜋 𝑒−𝑡2
2𝑑𝑡
𝐺𝐷𝑃𝐶𝐴𝑃𝑖−𝑚𝑖
𝜎𝑖
−∞ (5)
𝐸𝑁𝑉𝐼𝑅_𝑅𝐸𝐿𝑖=100∫1
√2𝜋 𝑒−𝑡2
2𝑑𝑡
𝐸𝐻𝑖−𝑚𝑖
𝜎𝑖
−∞ −100 ∫1
√2𝜋 𝑒−𝑡2
2𝑑𝑡
𝐺𝐷𝑃𝐶𝐴𝑃𝑖−𝑚𝑖
𝜎𝑖
−∞ (6)
In he s anda disa ion o mula (equa ions 5 and 6), he index i ep esen s he coun ies wi hin
he Eu opean Union, while m and σ signi y he mean and s anda d de ia ion o he espec i e
a iables o each yea . This p ocess esul s in s anda dised a iables, wi h possible alues
anging om 0 o 100. The high alues o hese new a iables indica e a high le el o
pa icipa ion in spo s and, co espondingly, good en i onmen al heal h ela i e o he
inancial possibili ies p o ided by he economic de elopmen o coun y i.
The da a spans he 27 coun ies o he Eu opean Union, o he pe iod om 2010 o 2022 and
is sou ced en i ely om in e na ional da abases, including he Wo ld Bank – Indica o s
(2024), Wo ld Bank – WGI (2024), En i onmen al P o ec ion Index - Yale Uni e si y, EPI
(2024), Ho s ede Ins i u e (2024), OECD (2024), and he Eu opean Commission (2024).
3. Resul s and discussion
The e iew o he li e a u e iden i ies nume ous ac o s a ec ing he heal h and longe i y o
popula ions, including heal h unding, li es yle, ea ing habi s, ins i u ional in luences, and
mac ocul u al elemen s. These ac o s ha e been ho oughly in es iga ed in schola ly s udies,
making u he elabo a ion unnecessa y due o he as amoun o empi ical e idence
a ailable. Howe e , ou esea ch ocusses on he e ec s o widesp ead spo s ac i i y and
he quali y o he en i onmen on li e expec ancy and gene al heal h o he public.
Highligh ing he impac s o hese pa icula ac o s poses challenges because o hei s ong
links o economic g ow h, which in oduces mul icollinea i y challenges in s a is ical models.
To illus a e hese ends, we use spa ial dis ibu ion maps as an ini ial desc ip i e ool
( igu es no. 1 and 2).
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