National cultural characteristics as defined by Hofstede's dimensions and their associations with population health

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F61989592%3A15260%2F25%3A73634276" target="_blank" >RIV/61989592:15260/25:73634276 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-025-22915-w" target="_blank" >https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-025-22915-w</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22915-w" target="_blank" >10.1186/s12889-025-22915-w</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

National cultural characteristics as defined by Hofstede's dimensions and their associations with population health

Original language description

Background Understanding population health trends and their key determinants is essential for planning health services and implementing effective interventions. One of these determinants may be national cultural characteristics that are related to various health outcomes and health-related behaviours. However, little is known about their potential association to overall burden of disease. Thus, this study examined whether cultural characteristics expressed by Hofstede indexes are associated with the burden of disease. Methods We used data from open-source databases - Hofstede&apos;s Cultural Index, the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) and the Human Development Index (HDI). The final sample comprised 69 countries covering all the continents. The burden of disease was measured using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years lived with disabilities (YLD), and years of life lost (YLL). National cultural characteristics were measured using Hofstede&apos;s dimensions. Bayesian correlation analyses were conducted to assess the relationships between cultural dimensions and health outcomes, stratified by countries&apos; HDI levels. Results In countries with a very high HDI, there was strong evidence (Bayes Factor &gt; 10) of a positive correlation of Power distance with the total disability-adjusted life years (r = 0.448) and years of life lost (r = 0.528), and Individualism (r = 0.667) and Indulgence (r = 0.494) with years lived with disabilities. In contrast, Long-term orientation negatively correlated of with years lived with disabilities (r = -0.527) and Indulgence with disability-adjusted life years (r = -0.437) and years of life lost (r = -0.537). Further, Power distance and Indulgence were correlated with the majority of the GBD indicators and Individualism with a few GBD indicators. In countries with a high and medium HDI, strong evidence of the associations was found in only a few cases. Conclusion We found a correlation between national cultural characteristics and burden of disease. Policy-makers should consider integrating cultural factors into public health strategies to better align healthcare interventions with the local population&apos;s values and behaviours. Moreover, cross-cultural research and collaboration should increase to understand how cultural influences can be used to mitigate disease burdens and improve health outcomes globally. This study also opens a potentially new research area within population health research.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

30304 - Public and environmental health

Project

—

Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

BMC PUBLIC HEALTH

ISSN

1471-2458

e-ISSN

1471-2458

Volume of the periodical

25

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

12

Pages from-to

nestránkováno

UT code for WoS article

001493929700012

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105005787364