تاثیر فناوری اطلاعات و ارتباطات بر شاخص سلامت امید به ­زندگی در منطقه خاورمیانه

زمینه. امید به زندگی، میانگین سال های مورد انتظار سن یک فرد با توجه به آمار مرگ و میر موجود، یکی از شاخص های مهم سلامت شناخته می شود. با توجه به اهمیت این شاخص در سیستم سلامت، بررسی عوامل موثر بر آن مهم است. این مطالعه به بررسی تاثیر فناوری اطلاعات و ارتباطات بر امید به زندگی پرداخته است. روش کار. این مطالعه از حیث روش انجام، یک مطالعه همبستگی بوده که شامل داده های بازه سالانه 2008-2018 برای کشورهای خاورمیانه می باشد. داده ها از گزارش های سالانه بانک جهانی و اتحادیه بین المللی ارتباطات راه دور تهیه شدند. تاثیر فناوری اطلاعات و ارتباطات بر امید به زندگی با مدل پنل برآورد شد. همچنین از آزمون hausman برای بررسی اثرات ثابت و تصادفی استفاده گردید. داده ها با استفاده از نرم افزار stata نسخه 14 مورد تجزیه و تحلیل قرار گرفت. یافته ها. نتایج این مطالعه تاثیر معنی دار فناوری اطلاعات و ارتباطات بر امید به زندگی در خاورمیانه را تایید کرد. ضریب رگرسیون 0/551 به دست آمد. این مقدار نشان می دهد که وقتی متغیر فناوری اطلاعات یک واحد افزایش می یابد، امید به زندگی 0/551 واحد تغییر می کند. همچنین همبستگی مقطعی 0/975 به دست آمد که این عدد نشان می دهد 97/5 درصد از واریانس به دلیل اختلاف بین پانل ها است. نتیجه گیری. با توجه به تاثیر فناوری اطلاعات و ارتباطات بر امید به زندگی، سیاست گذاران کشورهای خاورمیانه باید استفاده از فناوری اطلاعات و ارتباطات را با برنامه ها و سیستم های موجود ادغام کنند. فناوری به تنهایی یک هدف نیست بلکه صرفاً ابزاری برای تقویت سیستم موجود و تحقق اهداف تعیین شده منطقه ای است؛ این امر می تواند به عنوان ابزاری برای دستیابی به سلامت جامعه و توسعه اهداف مرتبط مورد استفاده قرار گیرد.

The Impact of Information and Communication Technology on Life Expectancy in the Middle East

Background. Life expectancy is an important health status indicator based on average number of years a person at a given age may be expected to live given current mortality rates. Given this significance, it would be necessary to probe into the factors affecting the life expectancy. Ensuring that information and communication technology (ICT) services are properly used could contribute to development and achievement, as it represents an important issue for the countries moving toward knowledgebased and informationbased societies. Therefore, this study explored the impact of the information and communication technology on life expectancy. Methods. This study covers annual data from 2008 to 2018 for a group of countries in the Middle East. Data were retrieved from the Annual Reports such as World Bank and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) data sets. The effects of ICT on life expectancy are estimated with the Panel model. We also used the Hausman test to investigate fixed versus random effects. The data were analyzed by Stata 14 software. Results. The core findings of this study confirm the significant impact of ICT on life expectancy in the Middle East. The calculated Coefficient of the regression was 0.551 indicating how much life expectancy changes when ICT variable increases by one unit. Moreover, the rho (intraclass correlation) was found to be 0.975 showing that 97.5% of the variance is due to differences across panels. Conclusion. Considering the effect of ICT on life expectancy, policymakers of the Middle Eastern countries should integrate the use of ICT with the existing programs and systems. Technology is not an end in itself but merely the means to reinforce the existing system and to meet the locally determined goals. It can be used as a tool to attain broader health and development goals. Background Life expectancy is an important health status indicator based on average number of years a person at a given age may be expected to live given current mortality rates. Given this significance, it would be necessary to probe into the factors affecting the life expectancy. Ensuring that information and communication technology (ICT) services are properly used could contribute to development and achievement, as it represents an important issue for the countries moving toward knowledgebased and informationbased societies. As ICT affects everyday lives, it also impacts the macroeconomic growth, which in turn further affects everyday lives by allowing improvements in infrastructures and a higher standard of living. ICTs inherently entail the economic development of countries, regions and cities, while also improving social inclusion, wellbeing and therefore quality of life. Therefore, this study explored the impact of the information and communication technology on life expectancy. Methods This study covers annual data from 2008 to 2018 for a group of countries of in the Middle East. Data were retrieved from the Annual Reports such as World Bank dataset and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) data set. The effects of information and communication technology on life expectancy were estimated through the Panel model. First, stationary tests were performed with the Fisher’s generalized unit root test. In the Fisher test for panel data, the null hypothesis of a unit root was rejected at the 5% level of significance. The crosssection correlation test was performed with the Freeze test. The null hypothesis of no correlation was rejected at the 5% level of significance. We also used the Hausman test to investigate fixed versus random effects. The null hypothesis of no fixed effects was accepted so the random effects model was used. The Hausman test detects endogenous regressors in a regression model. Endogenous variables have values that are determined by other variables in the system. The data were analyzed by Stata 14 software. Results The core findings of this study confirm the significant impact of information and communication technology on life expectancy in the Middle East. The Coefficient of the regression was 0.551 indicating how much life expectancy changes when information technology variable increases by one unit. The coefficient of ICT shows that 1% increase in ICT variable causes 0.551 % incline in life expectancy and this result is significant at 5% level of significance. Regarding control variables, we found that all have expected statistically significant effects on life expectancy. The intracluster correlation coefficient (rho) is a measure of the relatedness, or similarity, of clustered data. Values of rho range from 0 to 1 in human studies, and as the rho increases, more individuals within the clusters resemble one another. The rho (intraclass correlation) was found to be 0.975 showing that 97.5% of the variance is due to differences across panels. This research recommends that human development programs need to focus on polices which foster digital inclusion. Conclusion Considering the effect of information and communication technology on life expectancy, policymakers of the Middle Eastern countries should integrate the use of information and communication technology with the existing programs and systems. The digital citizen is happier and values living in regions with technological capacity, investing in research & development, and committed to achieving sustainable growth. ICT use leads to improved assessments of the efficiency and management of the public administration by more technological users, underlining the importance of an understanding between users and public services in the virtual sphere. Technology is not an end in itself but merely an instrument to reinforce the existing system and to meet the locally determined goals. It can be used as a tool to attain broader health and development goals. The findings from this study provide key insights that explain how life expectancy may be enhanced through ICTs. Practical Implications of Research According to the influence of information and communication technology (ICT) on life expectancy, policymakers should provide ICT infrastructures and adopt strategies integrating ICT policies with human life criteria such as education, health and work to improve life expectancy. Ethical Consideration The paper reflects the author’s own research and analysis in a truthful and complete manner. Conflict of Interests This study was an independent research and the author declares no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Acknowledgement I would like to thank Dr Marzieh Ronaghi for her guidance and assistance throughout this research.