{"id":{"repo_id":"cambridge","oai_identifier":"oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/331661"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cambridge/oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/331661","repository":{"repo_id":"cambridge","name":"Cambridge University","base_url":"https://api.repository.cam.ac.uk/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Cultural Determinants of Global Health","abstract":"This PhD thesis examines the role of cultural values as a predictor of population health and wellbeing in a global context. Within the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) framework, several factors including social class, income and education have been studied extensively as drivers of cross-national differences in health, but much less literature exists on the role of culture and cultural values. In order to address this gap in the literature I employ a qualitative analytical approach applied to multiple waves of the World Values Survey (1979-2014). In an initial analysis, I assess whether the three most common cultural values models, those of Hofstede, Schwartz and Inglehart, are good predictors of population health outcomes. Indulgence, traditional/rational, intellectual and affective autonomy, long-term orientation and embeddedness dimensions yield largest effect sizes in predicting health outcomes. I also find a significant and large interaction effects between country’s wealth and selected cultural dimensions Secondly, I develop a novel, data-driven, computationally intensive approach to Exploratory Factor Analysis to explore whether clusters, or dimensions, of values exist, and which are the most relevant for explaining population health. Of the dimensions identified, I find that religiosity, membership in civic organisations and democratic views are the most useful for explaining global differences in health and wellbeing. Thirdly, I explore the question of autonomy. I show that two dimensions of autonomy may be identified, which I term Individual and Female Autonomy. Of the two, Individual Autonomy is a good predictor of rates of national maternal mortality and combined maternal and child mortality. Finally, I critically review and assess country-level indicators of women’s social position (also referred to in the literature as gender equality or equity, or women’s empowerment). I provide an extensive critique of the so-called ‘parity’ approach prevalent in the global health and development literature, and suggest an alternative ‘institutional’ approach as more comprehensive and socially just.","abstract_html":"This PhD thesis examines the role of cultural values as a predictor of population health and wellbeing in a global context. Within the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) framework, several factors including social class, income and education have been studied extensively as drivers of cross-national differences in health, but much less literature exists on the role of culture and cultural values. In order to address this gap in the literature I employ a qualitative analytical approach applied to multiple waves of the World Values Survey (1979-2014). In an initial analysis, I assess whether the three most common cultural values models, those of Hofstede, Schwartz and Inglehart, are good predictors of population health outcomes. Indulgence, traditional/rational, intellectual and affective autonomy, long-term orientation and embeddedness dimensions yield largest effect sizes in predicting health outcomes. I also find a significant and large interaction effects between country’s wealth and selected cultural dimensions Secondly, I develop a novel, data-driven, computationally intensive approach to Exploratory Factor Analysis to explore whether clusters, or dimensions, of values exist, and which are the most relevant for explaining population health. Of the dimensions identified, I find that religiosity, membership in civic organisations and democratic views are the most useful for explaining global differences in health and wellbeing. Thirdly, I explore the question of autonomy. I show that two dimensions of autonomy may be identified, which I term Individual and Female Autonomy. Of the two, Individual Autonomy is a good predictor of rates of national maternal mortality and combined maternal and child mortality. Finally, I critically review and assess country-level indicators of women’s social position (also referred to in the literature as gender equality or equity, or women’s empowerment). I provide an extensive critique of the so-called ‘parity’ approach prevalent in the global health and development literature, and suggest an alternative ‘institutional’ approach as more comprehensive and socially just.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Doniec, Katarzyna"],"institution":"University of Cambridge","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Iacovou, Maria"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-10-29","date_published":"2020-10-29","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:00Z","subjects":["culture","cultural values","social values","health","global health","religiosity","democracy","autonomy","women","World Values Survey","mortality","life expectancy","Hofstede","Schwartz","Inglehart","well-being","cross-country","gender equality","gender equity"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.79112","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.doi"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Iacovou, Maria"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Doniec, Katarzyna"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2020-10-29"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Cambridge"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby.uri","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby URI","values":["https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/331661"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["culture","cultural values","social values","health","global health","religiosity","democracy","autonomy","women","World Values Survey","mortality","life expectancy","Hofstede","Schwartz","Inglehart","well-being","cross-country","gender equality","gender equity"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["10.17863/CAM.79112"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/30c717c9-2ef3-4095-b5e9-3473ae478ed7/download"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This PhD thesis examines the role of cultural values as a predictor of population health and wellbeing in a global context. 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I also find a significant and large interaction effects between country’s wealth and selected cultural dimensions Secondly, I develop a novel, data-driven, computationally intensive approach to Exploratory Factor Analysis to explore whether clusters, or dimensions, of values exist, and which are the most relevant for explaining population health. Of the dimensions identified, I find that religiosity, membership in civic organisations and democratic views are the most useful for explaining global differences in health and wellbeing. Thirdly, I explore the question of autonomy. I show that two dimensions of autonomy may be identified, which I term Individual and Female Autonomy. Of the two, Individual Autonomy is a good predictor of rates of national maternal mortality and combined maternal and child mortality. Finally, I critically review and assess country-level indicators of women’s social position (also referred to in the literature as gender equality or equity, or women’s empowerment). I provide an extensive critique of the so-called ‘parity’ approach prevalent in the global health and development literature, and suggest an alternative ‘institutional’ approach as more comprehensive and socially just."]},{"key":"dc:format.checksum.md5","label":"Dc Format Checksum Md5","values":["789efb5440c97c737112eef62e050fbd"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Cultural Determinants of Global Health"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Iacovou, Maria"],"dc:creator":["Doniec, Katarzyna"],"dc:date.issued":["2020-10-29"],"dc:description.abstract":["This PhD thesis examines the role of cultural values as a predictor of population health and wellbeing in a global context. 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