Evaluation of Physical Activity, Dietary Habits, and Income as Determinants of Health in European Continental Countries: A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach

Authors : Fulden Sari, Fevzi Akbulut, Zeynep Arıbaş

Pages : 117-124

Doi:10.30720/ered.1524818

View : 70 | Download : 59

Publication Date : 2025-05-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Purpose: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of physical activity, dietary habits, and income indicators in European Continental countries using the data envelopment analysis method. Material and Methods: The study analysed data from 29 of 32 European continental countries. Input variables included physical activity, walking, dietary habits, and gross national income per capita, while output variables included depressive symptoms and obesity. Spearman analysis was performed to determine the correlation between these variables. Mahalanobis distance values were calculated to identify outlier countries. Finally, Data Envelopment Analysis was performed using the R Studio package. Results: According to the Charnes Cooper Rhodes (CCR) model, the average efficiency of the countries was found to be 0.90, while it was 0.91 according to the Banker Charnes Cooper (BCC) model. Based on the efficiency scores, seven countries were identified as efficient in the CCR model, and nine in the BCC model. Among the efficient countries, Serbia and Romania had the highest efficiency scores of 1.37 in the super-efficiency analysis. Discussion: The study results indicate that if six countries increased their input variables, they could achieve higher outputs, whereas 14 countries might achieve lower outputs if they were to increase their inputs.
Keywords : Sağlık, Etkinlik, Depresyon, Obezite, Beslenme Alışkanlıkları

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