Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has hit both the Spanish economy and the population’s health hard. The result is an unprecedented economic and social crisis due to uncertainty about the remedy and the socioeconomic effects on people’s lives. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the macroeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 using key indicators of the Spanish economy for the 17 Autonomous Communities (ACs) of the country. National statistics were examined in the search for impacts or anomalies occurring since the beginning of the pandemic. To estimate the strength of the impact on each of the indicators analyzed, we used Bayesian structural time series. We also calculated the correlation between the rate of GDP decline during 2020 and the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the ACs. Results: In 2020, the cumulative impact on the gross domestic product was of −11.41% (95% credible interval: −13.46; −9.29). The indicator for business turnover changed by −9.37% (−12.71; −6.07). The Spanish employment market was strongly affected; our estimates showed a cumulative increase of 11.9% (4.27; 19.45) in the rate of unemployment during 2020. The worst indicators were recorded in the ACs most economically dependent on the services sector. There was no statistical association between the incidence of COVID-19 in 2020 and the fall in GDP in the ACs. Conclusions: Our estimates portray a dramatic situation in Spain, where the COVID-19 crisis has had more serious economic and health consequences than in other European countries. The productive system in Spain is too dependent on sectors vulnerable to the pandemic, and it is necessary to design and implement profound changes through the European Next Generation program.

To model the potential impact on obesity of removing butter, cheese, and sugar subsidies in the Canary Islands. A simulation model was applied based on a local data set of subsidies and retail prices (2007-2016), data on own-price elasticity estimates, and representative nutritional and health surveys. We estimated marginal obesity prevalence and population attributable fraction to assess the potential impact of the butter, cheese, and sugar subsidies intervention. The intervention was predicted to avoid 10 363 obese adults over the study period, because of the reduction of the obesity prevalence by -0.7 percentage points. Overall, the predicted effect was largest in elderly and male groups, although females with a low socioeconomic status experienced the greatest decrease in the prevalence. The population attributable fraction predicted that 4.0% of population with obesity were attributable to the existence of these subsidies. This analysis provides policy makers with the predicted impact on obesity of the butter, cheese, and sugar subsidies disposal, enabling them to incorporate this health impact into decision making across policy areas in the economic and health field. This study aims to model the potential impact on obesity of removing industrial subsidies for butter, cheese and sugar in the Canary Islands.

Despite proposed conceptual frameworks of eating behaviors, little is known about environmental factors contributing to changes in food habits. Few studies have reported the external influence of tourism on the inhabitants’ eating patterns. The present study aimed to investigate whether tourism pressure affects Canary Islands inhabitants’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet pattern. Data were obtained from a health and lifestyle population-based survey conducted in 2009 and 2015. From the reported intake frequency, a Mediterranean diet score was defined (0 to 11 points). Tourist overnight stays, which were stratified by nationality and area of destination, were used as a proxy variable to measure tourism pressure. A multilevel linear regression analysis by restricted maximum likelihood estimation was performed to examine the relationship between tourism pressure and the Mediterranean diet score. A significant negative association between the Mediterranean diet score and British tourism pressure was observed (β = −0.0064, p = 0.010), whereas German tourism pressure increased inhabitants’ adherence (β = 0.0092, p = 0.042). The socioeconomic level of tourists seems to play a role in differences in the tourism pressure effect by nationality. Further investigation of other highly touristic destinations is needed to confirm these findings that could contribute to a shift in tourism and public health nutrition policies.

Background Diet and physical activity (PA) in childhood are heavily influenced by the living environment. While diet quality follows a socioeconomic pattern, limited evidence is available in relation to PA in children. We assessed the effect of socioeconomic status at the individual (SES) and neighbourhood (NSES) levels on diet and PA among children from the general population of the Canary Islands, Spain. Methods In this cross-sectional study, patients aged 6–14 years from the Canary Health Service in 2018 were included (n=89 953). Diet and PA surveys from the electronic health records of the well-child visit programme were used. A healthy habits (HH) score was defined to assess the level of adherence to the dietary and leisure time PA guidelines. We modelled the association between the HH score, SES and NSES using a stepwise multilevel linear regression analysis, differentiating between specific and general contextual observational effects. Results A strong positive association between SES and the HH score was found, as children living in more affluent families were more likely to follow a healthy diet and being physically active. Differences in the HH score between geographical areas were of minor relevance (variance partition coefficient=1.8%) and the general contextual effects were not substantially mediated by NSES (proportional change in variance=3.5%). However, the HH score was significantly lower in children from areas with a higher percentage of annual incomes below the €18 000 threshold. Conclusion HH followed a socioeconomic gradient at the individual and the neighbourhood level. In the study population, the geographical component of the inequalities found were low.

Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with major disruptions, not only at the environmental, social, and economic levels but also in the public health systems and, therefore, emergency care utilisation. Prior to the pandemic, one of the most significant issues in the ED was overcrowding, with a consequent percentage of people leaving the ED without being seen (LWBS). The aim of this study was to assess the association between the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and the number of LWBS, compared with the rates recorded during the same period in 2019 and 2021. Materials and Methods: A retrospective comparative observational study of ED admissions was conducted in two university hospitals in Ancona (Italy) between 9 March and 3 May 2020 and in Gran Canaria (Spain) between 14 March and 10 May 2020, corresponding to the lockdown in the two countries, respectively. ED visits were assessed during the defined periods, separately for the Italian and Spanish contexts and between groups, comparing the two contexts for each year. Results: In Italy, during the 2019 timeframe, 597 (7.0%) of 8568 patients who arrived in the ED left before being seen; during the same period in 2020, 100 (3.2%) of 3100; and in 2021, 334 (6.0%) of 5555. In Spain, patients leaving the ED prior to medical consult in 2019 were 567 (4.0%) out of 14,034 visits; in 2020, they amounted to 185 (2.6%) out of 7208; and in 2021, they were 528 (4.0%) out of 13,214. The results of the logistic regression analysis for Italy and Spain showed that male sex [odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38 (1.24–1.53)], age group between 17 and 43 years compared to those subjects older than 74 years old [OR (95%CI): 4.04 (3.34–4.88)] and a lower priority code at triage were significantly associated with a higher odds of LWBS. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with changes in only some characteristics of the profiles and types of patients leaving the ED, while it had a strong impact on the number of patients who left the ED before medical examination. The observed decrease in ED visits and LWBS rates in 2020 suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the population’s use of the ED, highlighting the potential need for improved public and professional awareness of appropriate care pathways and the role of health professionals in them.