Smart mobility, understood as driving assisted by automation in driving, has found new ways to provide road mobility to individuals who, due to chronic progressive diseases (e.g., multiple sclerosis), have over time seen a need for assisted driving that responds to their changing needs. Furthermore, specific needs have recently been highlighted, as in the case of gender smart mobility (particularly needs for the female population). The challenge is to combine these new methods with insurance coverage—essential for driving—which is sustainable in terms of pricing and limitations (deductibles, reimbursement, etc.). It is also necessary to rethink the contents of policies that are not mandatory, but which constitute a fundamental aid, such as policies guaranteeing assistance in the event of the vehicle being stopped for repairs, roadside assistance, etc.

In 2008, the Bussi sul Tirino area (Abruzzo) was added to the Sites of National Interest (SNIs) due to high levels of soil and groundwater contamination caused by various industrial activities and the improper disposal of industrial waste, that had been ongoing since the early 1900s. Over time, the waters of the Colle Sant'Angelo well field, which served around 700,000 people in the local area, became contaminated.

Many studies have reported that exposure to environmental contaminants can interfere with epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation (DNAm), affecting human health in different ways, including an increased risk of infertility, accelerated aging, neurological diseases, and cancer.

Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exposure to contaminants on human DNAm variability and health.

To this end, 61 volunteers were sampled using buccal swabs and divided into two groups - high level of exposure (N=30) and low level of exposure (N=31) individuals - based on a score summarizing the exposure level of each individual's birthplace, residence municipality, and workplace.

DNAm levels were assessed in 32 samples using the Illumina EPIC array (850k), and in all 61 samples for three repetitive elements (Alu, LINE-1, rDNA) via bisulfite sequencing (Illumina MiSeq). Age- and sex-adjusted linear models, Gene Ontology, meQTL, epimutation, and epigenetic clock analyses were used to explore group differences.

Results suggested pollutant exposure may affect DNAm variability, including LINE-1 hypomethylation, which leads to genomic instability. However, they showed no impact on epimutations and epigenetic age acceleration in buccal cells.

Income is a relevant predictor of adult mortality. In fact, several studies show that mortality decreases by increasing income level. Noticeably, the measure of income has an important impact on the analysis of the relationship between economic resources and mortality. Income can be defined either at household or individual level. The former is a measure of the mean economic resources available for each household member, including those who do not perceive any personal income who benefit from the resources of other members. The latter is a measure of individual resources, regardless they are shared with other people. We focus on the comparison of these two measures of income when analysing mortality inequality on the elderly population in Italy. The analyses are based on an innovative database, gathered by the integration at individual level of the Istat Population Register with the Income Integrated Database. Mortality Rate Ratios are estimated by means of Negative Binomial regression models. Two different models are estimated by sex, adjusting for age, marital status, residence, and education: the first includes household equivalised income while the second includes individual income. Preliminary results show that the elderly population is characterised by income inequalities in mortality: when either household or individual income is considered, the lower the income the higher the mortality for both sexes. However, individual income is associated with wider disparities, possibly because representative of personal life course experiences and past labor market participation. When considering income redistribution within the household, inequalities are flattened but still relevant.

Reducing socioeconomic mortality inequalities remains a global public health priority. Individuals with lower socioeconomic status tend to experience higher mortality and poorer health outcomes. This study utilizes the 2019–2021 Mortality Inequality Database—integrating data from the National Register of Causes of Death and the National Base Register—to assess relative inequalities in all-cause and cause-specific mortality across Italian regions, by sex and age group, using educational attainment as a measure. To quantify inequalities, we estimate the Relative Index of Inequality (RII) by age, sex, cause of death, and region. Results show that individuals with lower education face mortality rates up to 3 times higher than those with higher education. While all-cause mortality inequalities are similar between men and women, women experience greater disparities in circulatory disease mortality than men, whereas men show higher inequalities in cancer mortality than women. Notably, regions with low overall mortality do not necessarily exhibit low mortality inequalities, and vice versa. These findings highlight the need for targeted resource allocation to address health disparities in vulnerable groups and affected regions.

One of the challenges of contemporary societies, marked by an ageing population, is ensuring optimal health and well-being conditions for all citizens for as long as possible. Attention to the factors influencing health and well-being has expanded from material aspects to immaterial ones, linked to social interaction and emotional well-being. Alongside a healthy diet and physical activity, cultural participation is increasingly recognised as a key component of a healthy lifestyle, with positive effects on cognitive functions, psychological and emotional well-being and interpersonal relationships.

The aim of this study is to verify the existence of a causal statistical relationship between cultural consumption and the subjective perception of health status. The research leverages existing data from the ISTAT Multipurpose Survey – Aspects of Daily Life (ADL), which contains information on both areas. Since the data are cross-sectional, it was necessary to “transform” them into a longitudinal format using a pseudo-panel approach. This allowed for the creation of “entities”, groups of similar individuals observed over time, from 2005 to 2019. Different domains of cultural consumption were identified by a polychoric factor analysis (PCA) to capture their varying effectiveness.

The results are robust and highlight a positive effect of cultural consumption on self-perceived health status, although with varying intensity depending on the domain of cultural activity. This suggests the need for greater attention and targeted interventions in this area.

This study investigates how the spatial distribution and density of educational institutions influence the choices of families and youth in Italy’s inner areas. Faced with low birth rates and the out-migration of residents, inner areas suffer from scarce, distant schooling options, constraining educational opportunities. To explore this phenomenon, we combined primary and secondary data sources. We draw on two surveys conducted within the EduCAR.YOUTH project: one of parents of 12–16-year-olds, eliciting household characteristics, past and intended secondary-school pathways, perceived costs and logistical challenges, and value orientations toward education; the other of 18–24-year-olds, adding questions on tertiary education and labor-market entry.

These data are linked to a comprehensive database of 53,868 schools obtained by combining the Scuola in Chiaro platform and the Portale Unico dei Dati della Scuola with municipal boundary shapefiles and the OpenStreetMap road network. Schools are classified by ISCED levels 0–3, with upper secondary programs further divided into general, technical, and vocational tracks and 23 subcategories according to the curricula offered. From this, we derive municipal indicators of educational supply that capture both the availability of schools in the area and their proximity.

Employing a multilevel regression framework, we assess how local educational supply shapes individual decisions regarding tertiary education by accounting for municipal-level indicators and family-level characteristics. Findings will inform policies to mitigate spatially driven educational inequalities in territories marked by demographic decline, highlighting the role of educational infrastructures in shaping individual educational paths.

Chronic pain has an important impact on people’s lives and is a fundamental dimension of wellbeing. Most research so far has focused on the US, where chronic pain has been deeply intertwined with the opioid crisis, but little is still known about pain in Europe. In this paper, I exploit new data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and the Health and Retirement Study to investigate the existence of sex disparities in chronic pain and the extent to which chronic pain is associated with socioeconomic status in mid-life in fourteen European countries and the US. Specifically, I study whether (i) sex-based differences in pain are relatively similar across countries, (ii) country-specific characteristics matter the most for people in the bottom of the income distribution, and (iii) greater use of pain medication reduces aggregate pain.