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In an era marked by a sweeping pandemic and the encroaching shadow of an energy crisis, the well-being and lifespan of global populations have become pressing concerns for every nation. This research zeroes in on life expectancy (LE), a powerful indicator of societal health in Oman and Qatar. Our study juxtaposes 3 key factors affecting LE: health status and resources (HSR), macroeconomics (ME), and sociodemographic (SD) factors. To achieve this, we tapped into a comprehensive data set from the World Bank, encompassing a transformative 3-decade span from 1990 to 2020. The intricate interplay between these factors and LE was deciphered through robust Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Our findings construct a compelling narrative: ME has an indirect yet considerable influence on LE—manifesting with an effect of 0.602 for Oman and 0.676 for Qatar. This influence is mediated by SD and HSR components. Similarly, SD elements impact LE indirectly—with an effect of 0.653 for Oman and 0.759 for Qatar— this effect is mediated by HSR. In contrast, HSR themselves wield a robust and direct influence on LE, indicated by an effect of 0.839 for Oman and 0.904 for Qatar. All these aforementioned effects were statistically substantial (P < .001). Our research magnifies the robust direct influence of HSR on LE in both Oman and Qatar, simultaneously highlighting the noteworthy indirect role of ME and SD factors. This emphasizes the significance of adopting an integrated policy approach that considers all the SD, ME, and HSR factors to improve the population health in both countries, which are also crucial for promoting LE growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council region.

Background Understanding the determinants of life expectancy (LE) is essential for effective policy planning and enhancing public health in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. This study aims to elucidate the complex interactions among sociodemographic (SD), macroeconomic (ME), and health resource (HR) factors that influence LE among the GCC countries. Methods We employed a Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modeling to develop a comparative model across six GCC countries using annual data from 1990 to 2020. The pairwise comparison utilized Partial Least Squares Multi-Group Analysis, allowing us to examine the differences of SD, ME, and HR influences on LE among the GCC countries. Results Our analysis highlighted that HR and ME factors directly impact LE across all GCC countries examined. We observed significant mediation effects where SD factors influenced ME or HR, affecting LE. Notably, the final pairwise comparisons revealed that the impact of SD on LE was particularly significant, with effect sizes ranging from 0.2679 ( p  = 0.0018) in the Oman-Kuwait comparison to 0.6686 ( p  < 0.0001) in the Emirate-Saudi comparison. Furthermore, while HR and ME factors consistently influenced LE in each model, the differences in their impacts across the six countries did not show significant variations between each pairing. Conclusions Generally, the findings highlight the critical need for GCC countries to strengthen the integrated framework of SD, ME, and HR factors rather than relying solely on HR improvements. Specifically, the findings highlight the importance of tailoring health policies to address specific sociodemographic contexts within the GCC to enhance LE effectively. The insights gained from our model could significantly inform targeted health policy initiatives and provide a valuable reference for future research in similar settings.

Despite marked advancements, life expectancy (LE) growth in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has remained stagnant compared to other developed nations. This study aims to investigate the significant correlation between macroeconomic (ME), sociodemographic (SD), and health status and resources (HSR) factors and LE to formulate an explanatory model for Saudi Arabia and the UAE—a previously unexplored area. Utilizing an ecological, retrospective, time-series study design, we delved into secondary data on SD, ME, and HSR factors and LE of the populations of the UAE and Saudi Arabia spanning three decades (1980–2020). We employed partial least squares–structural equation modeling for statistical analysis. Our analysis revealed significant direct impacts of HSR factors on LE for Saudi Arabia (β = 0.958, p < 0.001) and the UAE (β = 0.716, p < 0.001). Furthermore, we discerned a notable indirect influence of ME factors on LE, mediated through SD and HSR factors for Saudi Arabia (β = 0.507, p < 0.001) and the UAE (β = 0.509, p < 0.001), along with a considerable indirect effect of SD factors on LE through HSR (Saudi: β = 0.529, p < 0.001; UAE: β = 0.711, p < 0.001). This study underscores the mediating role of a nexus of ME–SD–HSR factors on LE in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Consequently, these findings signal an imperative need for holistic policy interventions addressing ME, SD, and HSR factors, aiming to alter health behaviors and improve LE projections for Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the long run.

Worldwide, there has been a notable decline in the infant mortality rate (IMR) in the last 20 years. Regionally, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries echo the global trends to a certain extent. This study aims to explore the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH), health resources (HRS), and environmental (ENV) factors on the IMR in Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. It is a retrospective time-series study using yearly data from 1990 to 2022. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) was utilized to construct an exploratory model of the IMR for each country. The results showed that SDOH, HRS, and ENV factors influenced IMRs in three GCC countries. In all three countries’ models, only HRS exerted a direct effect on the IMR (Bahrain: −0.966, 95% CI −0.987 to −0.949; Kuwait: −0.939, 95% CI −0.979 to −0.909; and Qatar: −0.941, 95% CI −0.976 to −0.910). On the other hand, ENV factors and SDOH only influenced the IMR indirectly and negatively. Their beta coefficients ranged from −0.745 to −0.805 for ENV factors and −0.815 to −0.876 for SDOH. This study emphasizes the importance of adopting multi-faceted public health strategies that focus on improving socioeconomic conditions, expanding healthcare resources, and reducing environmental degradation. By adopting these multi-dimensional approaches, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait can continue to progress in reducing IMRs and improving overall public health outcomes.

This review was aimed at systematically synthesizing and appraising the existing literature of sociodemographic, macroeconomic, and health resources factors on life expectancy. A systematic literature search of English databases, that is, PubMed/MEDLINE were scrutinized for exploring sociodemographic, macroeconomic, and health resources factors on life expectancy. The literature search was conducted in January 2020, covering a total of 46 articles from 2004 to 2019 met the review criteria, which were fully discussed subsequently. Among sociodemographic factors, infant mortality rate, literacy rate, education level, socioeconomic status, population growth, and gender inequality have a significant impact on life expectancy. Gross domestic product, Gini, income level, unemployment rate, and inflation rate are the main macroeconomic factors that significantly correlated with life expectancy. Among various health care resources, health care facilities, the number of the health care profession, public health expenditure, death rates, smoking rate, pollution, and vaccinations had a significant correlation with life expectancy. The systematic review showed general conformity of different studies, with a significant association between life expectancy and factors comprising several sociodemographic, macroeconomic, and various health care variables. This review found that only one study examined factors affecting life expectancy in Arabic countries. More studies on this region to fill this research gap were highly recommended.

Life expectancy (LE) is a health indicator of a population’s health and well-being. Modeling the trajectory of LE aligns with the objectives of Indonesia’s Vision 2045 and Oman’s Vision 2040. This study examines the influence of health status-resources (HSR), macroeconomic (ME), and sociodemographic (SD) factors on LE in Indonesia and Oman. These two nations navigate the challenges of the middle-income trap in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. This study adopted a national-scale population-based approach that focuses on retrospective observations. We used partial least square structural equation models with World Bank data from 1980 to 2020 to analyze the relationship between the mentioned factors and the LE of Oman and Indonesia. For Indonesia’s model, the results showed that ME has a total effect of β = 0.737 ( p  < 0.05) on LE, SD has a total effect of β = 0.675 ( p  < 0.05) on LE, and HSR has a total effect of β = 0.823 ( p  < 0.05) on LE. In Oman’s model, ME has a total effect of β = 0.848 ( p  < 0.05) on LE, SD has a total effect of β = 0.755 ( p  < 0.05) on LE, and HSR has a total effect of β = 0.335 ( p  < 0.05) on LE. The findings underscore the need for policies that meld health and societal perspectives to improve public health in both nations. A shift in public health interventions and perceptions towards socioeconomic well-being and societal issues is pivotal for advancing LE growth, potentially steering these countries from the middle-income trap.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have witnessed remarkable economic growth over recent decades. Arguably, this progress of these major oil and natural gas producers has come to the detriment of the environment in terms of increased CO 2 emissions and associated ecological degradation. The effects of these high emissions and environmental challenges on human health, specifically life expectancy (LE), have not been thoroughly explored in the literature. We aim to fill this research gap by assessing the relationship between Ecological footprint deficiency and the diverse and context-specific factors affecting LE in the GCC, highlighting the critical roles of urbanization, economic indicators, and digitization in shaping health outcomes. The study employs panel data for the 2000–2020 period. It utilizes linear and non-linear panel estimation methods to analyze these variables’ long-term and short-term effects. Specifically, we run unit root tests, cointegration analysis to validate our datasets, and OLS, ARDL, and panel threshold regressions to examine said relationships. Our findings reveal a significant relationship between ecological footprint and LE across the GCC countries. The results indicate that a higher ecological deficit is associated with lower LE in our sampled nations. Meanwhile, our panel threshold results highlight more nuanced impacts of our variables of interest, revealing significant threshold effects and intricate dynamics influencing LE. Our results are robust when substituting CO 2 emissions for the ecological footprint suggesting and supporting our evidence for a more complex, potentially nonlinear relationship. Our study emphasizes the urgent need for sustainable environmental policies to mitigate health risks and promote long-term well-being in the GCC region. Nuanced approaches are needed to address each GCC country's health and environmental challenges.