BackgroundAntenatal Care (ANC), use of skilled delivery attendants and postnatal care (PNC) services are key maternal health services that can significantly reduce maternal mortality. Understanding the factors that affect service utilization helps to design appropriate strategies and policies towards improvement of service utilization and thereby reduce maternal mortality. The objective of this study was to identify factors that affect utilization of maternal health services in Ethiopia.MethodsData were drawn from the 2011 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey. The dependent variables were use of ANC, skilled delivery attendants and PNC services. The independent variables were categorized as socio-cultural, perceived needs and accessibility related factors. Data analysis was done using SPSS for windows version 20.0. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used in the analysis.ResultsThirty four percent of women had ANC visits, 11.7% used skilled delivery attendants and 9.7% of women had a postnatal health checkup. Education of women, place of residence, ethnicity, parity, women’s autonomy and household wealth had a significant association with the use of maternal health services. Women who completed higher education were more likely to use ANC (AOR = 3.8, 95% CI = 1.8-7.8), skilled delivery attendants (AOR = 3.4, 95% CI = 1.9-6.2) and PNC (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI = 2.0-5.2). Women from urban areas use ANC (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.9-2.9), skilled delivery attendants (AOR = 4.9, 95% CI = 3.8-6.3) and PNC services (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI = 2.0-3.4) more than women from rural areas. Women who have had ANC visits during the index pregnancy were more likely to subsequently use skilled delivery attendants (AOR = 1.3, 95% CI = 1.1-1.7) and PNC (AOR = 3.4, 95% CI = 2.8-4.1). Utilization of ANC, delivery and PNC services is more among more autonomous women than those whose spending is controlled by other people.ConclusionMaternal health service utilization in Ethiopia is very low. Socio-demographic and accessibility related factors are major determinants of service utilization. There is a high inequality in service utilization among women with differences in education, household wealth, autonomy and residence. ANC is an important entry point for subsequent use of delivery and PNC services. Strategies that aim improving maternal health service utilization should target improvement of education, economic status and empowerment of women.

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The diet of highly trained endurance athletes does not fully meet their requirements and in this situation cannot ensure maximum adaptation to very intense and/or long-duration physical loads. The diet of highly trained endurance athletes must be optimized, adjusted and individualized. Particular attention should be focused on female athletes.

BackgroundInfant mortality reflects not only the health of infants but societal well-being as a whole. This study explores distal socioeconomic and related proximate determinants of infant mortality and provides evidence for designing targeted interventions.MethodsSurvival information on 5391 live born infants (2006–2010) was examined from the nationally representative Nepal Demographic Health Survey 2011. Bivariate logistic regression and multivariate hierarchical logistic regression approaches were performed to analyze the distal-socioeconomic and related proximate determinants of infant mortality.ResultsSocio-economic distal determinants are important predictors for infant mortality. For example, in reference to infants of the richest class, the adjusted odds ratio of infant mortality was 1.66 (95 % CI: 1.00–2.74) in middle class and 1.87 (95 % CI: 1.14–3.08) in poorer class, respectively. Similarly, the populations of the Mountain ecological region had a higher odds ratio (aOR =1.39, 95 % CI: 0.90–2.16) of experiencing infant mortality compared with the populations of the Terai plain region. Likewise, the population of Far-western development region had a higher adjusted odds ratio (aOR =1.62, 95 % CI: 1.02–2.57) of experiencing infant mortality than the Western development region. Moreover, the association of proximate determinants with infant mortality was statistically significant. For example, in reference to size at birth, adjusted odds ratio of infant dying was higher for infants whose birth size, as reported by mothers, was very small (aOR = 3.41, 95 % CI: 2.16–5.38) than whose birth size was average. Similarly, fourth or higher birth rank infants with a short preceding birth interval (less than or equal to 2 years) were at greater risk of dying (aOR =1.74, 95 % CI: 1.16–2.62) compared to the second or third rank infants with longer birth intervals. A short birth interval of the second or the third rank infants also increased the odds of infant death (aOR = 2.03, 95 % CI: 1.23–3.35).ConclusionsSocioeconomic distal and proximate determinants are associated with infant mortality in Nepal. Infant mortality was higher in the poor and middle classes than the wealthier classes. Population of Mountain ecological region and Far western development region had high risk of infant mortality. Similarly, infant dying was higher for infants whose birth size, as reported by mothers, was very small and who has higher birth rank and short preceding birth interval. This study uniquely addresses both broader socioeconomic distal and proximate determinants side by side at the individual, household and community levels. For this, both comprehensive, long-term, equity-based public health interventions and immediate infant care programs are recommended.

This paper deals with the analysis of energy security in certain European countries. The investigation of different approaches to evaluation of the energy security parameter showed some drawbacks of their application in practice. This fact has led the authors to the idea to develop a completely new index of energy security that includes, inter alia, quite a traditional approach-based on the data about consumption, production, distribution, and allocation of energy resources-also paying attention to productivity and efficiency of using such resources. The first part of the paper discusses the advantages of a new parameter in comparison to the existing analogies. The next part concerns the estimation of four-panel regressions that describe the interrelation of main macroeconomic parameters with the new energy security index (NESI). They showed that the increase of GDP is positively correlated with NESI, and negatively-with CPI. Therefore, on the one hand, economic tools may improve energy security in Europe, and on

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The globalization process develops itself differently for each transition country. Likewise, implementation of reforms and their impacts on trade relations show variety among countries. The article focuses on five countries (Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine). It considers how the factors (the size of the economy, the ratio of the price index of the countries, common borders on the sea or on land, distance between the states and the existence of common currency) have affected the export trade volume with trading partners during 1996-2017. The main methodology of the article is formed around the gravity model, which suggests that trade relations between countries can be explained by their economic size and the distance between states' financial centres. The findings show that such factors still play a significant role, but logistic problems became much weaker during the last years. It is necessary to note the influence of the Industry 4.0, which intensifies the service of the economy and introduces new adjustments to the allegedly established

The aim of the paper is to determine to what extent the strengthening of the transparency of the Ukrainian economy and its incorporation in international tax competition affects the tax policy of the country and the peculiarities of its tax system. In the study, the logical analysis of the direct and inverse relationship of changes in taxation with such manifestations of globalization, as the movement of capital and labor resources from Ukraine and to the country, is combined with an empirical (regression) analysis of the relationship between globalization and the main characteristics of the Ukrainian tax system. It is proved that the increase of incorporation of Ukraine in globalization processes, despite the reduction of taxes on the main factors of production, is accompanied by an increase in the general level of tax burden on the economy (tax rate). The above mentioned is a consequence of increase of other taxes, including excise, caused both by internal needs of Ukraine (conducting the policy of fiscal consolidation caused by large public debt, and increasing defense expenditures) and its international obligations (EU Association Agreement). The tax system in Ukraine is much stronger (about 25%) influenced by the general index of globalization in comparison with its subindex characterizing the economic component of globalization. Obviously, this is owing to the greater influence on taxation in Ukraine of other components of globalization such as political and social one. The results show that the growth of the globalization index is accompanied by rather expected effects such as reduction of corporate profit tax rates and personal income tax, transferring the tax burden from capital to labor and, to a greater extent, on consumption, improving business conditions in the context of tax payments, and specific increase in the general level of tax burden on the economy, significant losses of the state that is not so much from the reduction of tax rates as from the erosion of the tax base on income, which is the result of a combination of negative effects of external and internal factors; the threat of escalating the policy of low tax rates. It is recommended to the Ukrainian Government to focus increasingly on the tax evolution trends in post-socialist EU countries to strengthen Ukraine`s position in tax competition with this group of countries.