Outward foreign direct investment and energy intensity: evidence from the listed companies in China.

Since 2005, China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) has increased year by year, which corresponds to the continuous decline of energy intensity. But there is limited literature concerning their relationship nowadays. To answer whether or not OFDI can reduce energy intensity, this paper selects data from 29 provinces in China from 2006 to 2015 and establishes a fixed-effects model to analyze the relationship. Further, this paper divides OFDI into technology-intensive ones and non-technology-intensive ones in order to distinguish the impact of outward foreign direct investment from different types of enterprises on the energy intensity. Combined with the micro-data of A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, we find that OFDI plays a significant role in reducing the energy intensity in China, and OFDI of high-technology-intensive enterprises has a greater effect on the decrease of energy intensity than that of low-technology-intensive enterprises. This paper classifies OFDI from the perspective of enterprise technology intensity, which enriches the existing research results in the field of international cooperation and energy intensity. It also overcomes the limitations of previous literature data and provides new evidence for encouraging high-tech enterprises to strengthen international cooperation from a micro level.

Effects of insufficient physical activity on mortality and life expectancy in Jiangxi province of China, 2007-2010.

BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity remains an under-researched field in terms of studying burden of disease at provincial level, and no studies have examined the effects of inactivity on life expectancy (LE) in China. The purpose of this study was to estimate mortality risk and LE effects associated with insufficient levels of physical activity in Jiangxi province. METHODS/FINDINGS: Prevalence of risk factors and mortality counts were extracted from Chronic Diseases and Risk Factors Surveillance Survey (CDRFSS) and Disease Surveillance Points system (DSP), respectively. Insufficient physical activity (IPA) was defined as less than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 60 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, accumulated across work, home, transport and discretionary domains. Population-attributable fractions (PAF) were used to calculate the mortality attributable to risk factors, and life table methods were used to estimate the LE gains and LE shifts. Monte Carlo simulation techniques were used for uncertainty analysis. Overall, 5 885 (95% uncertainly interval (UI), 5 047-6 506) and 8 578 (95% UI, 8 227-9 789) deaths in Jiangxi province were attributable to IPA in 2007 and 2010, respectively. The LE gains for elimination of attributable deaths were 0.68 (95% UI, 0.61-076) in 2007, and increased to 0.91 (95% UI, 0.81-1.10) in 2010. If the prevalence of IPA in 2010 had been decreased by 50% or 30%, 3 678 (95% UI, 3 220-4 229) or 2 090 (95% UI, 1 771-2 533) deaths would be avoided, and 0.40 (95% UI, 0.34-0.53) or 0.23 (95% UI, 0.16-0.31) years of LE gained, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Adults in Jiangxi province of China have a high and increasing prevalence of IPA. Due to the deaths and potential LE gains associated with IPA, there is an urgent need to promote physical activity, one of the most modifiable risk factors, within China's health care reform agenda.

[Objective assessment of school-time physical activity of a grade 1-2 junior school students in Beijing].

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the physical activity (PA) level during school time, especially in PE class, among Beijing junior school students. METHODS: 81 healthy adolescents (37 boys and 44 girls) aged 11-15 were recruited from grade 1-2 of a junior school, and a hip-worn ActiGraph GT3X + accelerometer was used to measure students' PA. Accelerometer-determined steps, moderate-and vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA), vigorous-intensity PA (VPA) and MET-mins at school time and physical education (PE) class were assessed. RESULTS: During school time, girls spent (47.2 +/- 16.0) mins performing, and boys (67.3 +/- 20.5) mins per day (P < 0.01). Boys also had more steps per day, VPA time and MVPA MET-min than girls (P < 0.001). In PE class, boys spent 53.6% +/- 10.2% of time in MVPA, as compared to girls' 35.2% +/- 7.2%. Boys with normal BMI had the highest VPA time during PE than other groups (P < 0.05). No significant BMI group differences in PA level were found in girls. CONCLUSION: PA in school time was objectively qualified in Beijing junior school students. Girls were less active than boys. PE class provided a major portion of the VPA time and MVPA MET-min in school time PA for boys and girls. Boys with normal BMI had the highest PA level during PE classes.