Investment In Health Research Articles

Experimental Evidence from a Conditional Cash Transfer Program: Schooling, Learning, Fertility, and Labor Market Outcomes after 10 Years

Abstract Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs are the antipoverty program of choice in many developing countries, aiming to improve human capital and break the intergenerational transmission of poverty. A decade after a randomized 3 year CCT program began, earlier exposure during primary school ages when children were at risk of dropout led to higher labor market participation for young men and women and higher earnings for men. The findings highlight the roles of the different CCT program components with variation in timing of access to nutrition, health, and education investments translating into substantial differential effects on learning outcomes for men and reproductive health outcomes for women.

Effective vaccines for non-communicable diseases - A pipe dream?

Effective vaccines for non-communicable diseases - A pipe dream? Markus Mandler, Founder and CEO of Tridem Bioscience, explains how the company’s cutting-edge vaccine platform is revolutionising treatment approaches and vaccines for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). 2023Vaccines are one of the best health investments money can buy. One has only to look at how transformative vaccines were during the COVID-19 pandemic to appreciate how world- changing they can be. Currently, vaccines’ full benefits are only truly realised when targeting pathogens, which are innately immunogenic due to their foreign nature. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), otherwise known as chronic diseases, usually lack immunogenic targets. Treating NCDs with vaccines relies instead on targeting self-antigens, which are generally well tolerated by the immune system. The potential global health benefits would be staggering if efficacious vaccines could be developed for NCDs, which cause a whopping 76% of deaths globally and over 60% of all disability- adjusted life-years (DALYs).

The determinants of labour productivity in the Eastern Cape Province: A sectoral and industry analysis

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of labour productivity in the Eastern Cape. Furthermore, the study estimates the determinant of labour productivity from a sectoral and industry perspective. The technique employed for the empirical analysis is the ARDL bounds test. The empirical results highlight that investment in ICT, health and GDP growth are the crucial determinants of total labour productivity in the Eastern Cape. The sectoral analysis shows that primary sector labour productivity is driven by human capital and investment in ICT. Trade is the most important factor explaining labour productivity in the secondary sector while the tertiary sector is driven by R&D expenditures and ICT investment. The industry analysis revealed results similar to those of the sectoral analysis to some extent. The results imply that the shift to a knowledge-based economy is crucial for the Eastern Cape.

"That's like therapy"-A qualitative study on socially disadvantaged women's views on the effects of a community-based participatory research project on their health and health behavior.

Regular physical activity has positive effects on both physical and mental health. Nevertheless, socially disadvantaged women are often insufficiently physically active. Through needs-based physical activity offers, community-based participatory research (CBPR) projects have the potential to reach these women and increase the effectiveness of physical activity interventions by supporting women's empowerment, health, and health behaviors. This study aimed to examine socially disadvantaged women's views on the effects of long-term participation in Bewegung als Investition in Gesundheit (BIG, i.e., movement as an investment in health), a long-standing German CBPR project, on their health and health behavior. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 participating women at five BIG sites across Germany between April and August 2022. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using framework analysis. Women reported that participation in BIG classes contributed to their physical, mental, and social health. For many women, the positive effects on their mental and social wellbeing were most important. In addition to increased fitness and improved physical endurance, many participating women were able to expand their social networks, thus receiving further social support, and improve their self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-efficacy. Furthermore, participation in BIG physical activity classes positively influenced the health awareness of many women helping them to improve their activity level and diet over time. Our results suggest that CBPR projects, such as the BIG project, can increase physical activity among socially disadvantaged groups and contribute to their overall health and wellbeing. CBPR projects could thus be considered a key element of health promotion for this target group. Future interventional research is required to confirm and further explore the effects of CBPR interventions and to examine whether the effects can be replicated in other settings.

Dust and Death: Evidence from the West African Harmattan.

Using two decades of data from 12 low-income countries in West Africa, we show that dust carried by harmattan trade winds increases infant and child mortality. Health investments respond to dust exposure, consistent with compensating behaviours. Despite these efforts, surviving children still exhibit negative health impacts. Our data allow us to investigate differential impacts over time and across countries. We find declining impacts over time, suggesting adaptation. Using national-level measures of macroeconomic conditions and health resources, we find suggestive evidence that both economic development and public health improvements have contributed to this adaptation, with health improvements playing a larger role.

The Shortfalls of Mental Health Compartment Models: A Call to Improve Mental Health Investment Cases in Developing Countries

ObjectivesThere are irregularities in investment cases generated by the Mental Health Compartment Model. We discuss these irregularities and highlight the costing techniques that may be introduced to improve mental health investment cases. MethodsThis analysis uses data from the World Bank, the World Health Organisation Mental Health Compartment Model, the United Nations Development Program, the Kenya Ministry of Health, and Statistics from the Kenyan National Commission of Human Rights. ResultsWe demonstrate that the Mental Health Compartment Model produces irrelevant outcomes that are not helpful for clinical settings. The model inflated the productivity gains generated from mental health investment. In some cases, the model underestimated the economic costs of mental health. Such limitation renders the investment cases poor in providing valuable intervention points from the perspectives of both the users and the providers. ConclusionThere is a need for further calibration and validation of the investment case outcomes. The current estimated results cannot be used to guide service provision, research, and mental health programming comprehensively.

The Correlation between Economic Convergence and Health Indices in Developed Countries.

Economic convergence signifies diminishing income disparities among global or regional economies and their eventual disappearance. It is also linked to economic growth and key health indicators. We aimed to assess the association between economic convergence and key health indicators in developed countries called G7 (USA, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Canada). We examined G7 health and economic indicators from 2000 to 2021 using panel data analysis. We compared balanced and unbalanced panel datasets to address missing data and applied suitable methods to handle missing health indicators. Little's MCAR test (X 2 = 3.2872, P - value = 0.3494) confirmed random missing data in the unbalanced panel, enabling us to impute missing values as missing observations were below 5%. Unit root tests on balanced and unbalanced panel data validated the health convergence hypothesis, showing no unit roots in economic growth rate, current health expenditure, and female and male population indicators (P<0.05). Interestingly, the hypothesis for hospital bed counts in the unbalanced panel, differing from the balanced panel, offers new insights into addressing incomplete health data. While G7 have economic similarities, their health indicators diverge (excluding hospital bed counts). Variations in health indicators stem from healthcare system structures, funding mechanisms, resource allocation, and health investments, even among economies of similar size. Therefore, G7 member states should develop tailored national health policies based on their specific circumstances and priorities, utilizing economic convergence data for effective health resource planning.

Short of capacity? Why the government must address the capacity constraints in the English National Health Service.

A decade of low investment in the English National Health Service (NHS) resulted in strong headline productivity growth but undermined the health system's resilience and left it exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Projected demographic pressures, driven by the aging of the baby-boom generation and the rise in multi-morbidity levels in the population, will add pressures to already stretched health care resources. As the NHS faces the twin challenges of recovering services after the pandemic and meeting care needs from an aging population, our projections of demand for care indicate the NHS almost certainly needs significantly more beds as well as more staff. Productivity improvements in hospital care can reduce the amount of additional resources needed, but this will require significant concomitant investment in community-based health and long-term-care services.

Determining the Effect of Voluntary Participation in Communicating with PLHIV in Siaya County, Kenya

Purpose: This research aimed to determine 1the effect 1of voluntary participation 1in communicating with PLHIV 1in 1Siaya, 1Kenya.&#x0D; Methodology: This study utilized a 1descriptive research approach and 1inferential 1design through a 1field survey, employing two distinct 1sets of questionnaires. One was administered 1to the key informant and the other to Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV).1Spearman’s 1rho 1correlations 1and simple linear1regression1models were also applied to assess the association between voluntary engagement as 1the independent variable and communication as the 1dependent 1variable. ANOVA 1test 1was also performed 1to test the hypothesis 1and results were 1presented 1in 1tables.&#x0D; Findings: The study comprised a sample size of 376 individuals, constituting 96.18% of willing respondents who agreed to participate in 1interviews. Seventeen unresponsive records were excluded from the analysis. A Normality 1Test was conducted to assess whether the study sample was drawn from a population with a normal distribution. Under the 1null 1hypothesis, no significant difference was found between the sample and the population it represented. Consequently, there was substantial evidence to reject the 1null 1hypothesis and accept the 1alternative 1hypothesis (p-value=0.000 CI=95%). Moreover, the findings revealed that 82.30% voluntarily enrolled in the 1Text 1for 1Adherence (T4A) 1mobile 1app, 70.71% signed the consent form, and 6.07% indicated that 1consent was implied.&#x0D; Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study extends 1Technology readiness theory studies to mhealth field where it is beginning to gain traction. It also indicates the significance of individuals willingly participating in mHealth interventions upon enrollment. Voluntary participation is an imperative condition of any research undertaking. This study's results additionally confirmed that mHealth interventions enhance the well-being of individuals managing chronic illnesses. This study is likely to inform policy changes and or amendments in the mhealth space in many jurisdictions. An 1intervention 1such 1as 1Text for1Adherence (1T4A) may encourage 1the 1government 1to support system developers. It can also take over the project as a public health investment instead of leaving it to private sector or non-governmental organizations. Study further extends the body of knowledge in use of mhealth interventions.

Insights From Implementation Of A Community-Based Model For Collaborative Public Good Investing.

Communities across the United States are looking for ways to reduce health inequities. Improving the social determinants of health (SDOH) is one fruitful pathway. In prior work we developed a financing model to incentivize and coordinate joint SDOH investments among local stakeholders, called the Collaborative Approach to Public Good Investments (CAPGI). A core thesis of our model is that at least some SDOH investments can be funded without reliance on philanthropic or government monies: Because they can produce value that flows to multiple organizations simultaneously, SDOH investments can be aligned with health organizations' self-interest. We describe our model's evolution in practice and synthesize insights drawn from our experiences providing technical assistance to three communities that have implemented CAPGI. Each community is unique, but we identified common themes related to governance processes and coalition dynamics that are relevant to any community trying to increase local, place-based investments in health.

Fatores que influenciam a sobrevivência das micro e pequenas empresas no Brasil

Abstract Purpose: This article studies which sets of variables, besides credit and profitability, influence the survival of micro and small enterprises (MSE) over time. Originality/value: This study innovates in presenting independent variables related to a common objective, contributing to the literature by identifying factors, including financial ones, that can influence MSE survival in a single model, which has not yet been identified in the literature. Therefore, acquiring knowledge that stimulates changes in the behavior of entrepreneurs, public authorities, stakeholders, and private institutions related to the subject is expected to promote the creation of new management tools, which can decrease the closure of several MSEs within a short time of operation. Design/methodology/approach: Secondary data from the 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District relative to the period between 2008 and 2012 were used. Reduced equation models with estimation utilizing a Tobit were used, as the dependent variable is censored, in addition to the OLS method with fixed effects panel and robust error, with equivalent results. The factor analysis by the principal component method (FA-PCM) was used in the data analysis. Findings: The results showed significant factors for MSE survival, such as the need for employment and income, investments in health, access to financing, and, mostly, the importance of education, among others. Moreover, the study demystifies that the leading cause of MSE death is the lack of credit, as there is too much credit on the market, either through banks or investors.

The effect of health literacy on health investment intention: a cross-sectional study among petrochemical employees in China.

In the petrochemical industry, employees are exposed to various health hazards, which pose serious challenges to their health and hinder the sustainable development of the petrochemical industry. Investing in health has proved a potential strategy to enhance general health. However, global health investment is notably insufficient, mainly due to the public's limited intention to invest in their health. While past research has identified various determinants of health investment intentions, the relationship between health literacy and health investment intention remains somewhat controversial and needs more empirical validation. This study aims to assess the level of health literacy and health investment intention among employees in one of China's largest petrochemical companies and to explore the effect of health literacy on health investment intention. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a petrochemical company. The valid sample size for this study was 39,911 respondents. Data were collected using a designed questionnaire, including socio-demographic information, questions about health investment intention, and the "2020 National Health Literacy Monitoring Questionnaire." Several statistical analysis methods were employed, including descriptive analysis, Chi-square test, logistic regression, and multiple linear regression. The study disclosed an average health literacy score of 56.11 (SD = 10.34) among employees, with 52.1% surpassing the qualification threshold. The "Chronic Disease" dimension exhibited the lowest qualification rate at 33.0%. Furthermore, 71.5% of the employees expressed an intention to invest in health, yet a significant portion (34.5%) opted for the minimal investment choice, less than 2,000 RMB. Logistic regression analysis indicated a positive correlation between health literacy and health investment intention (OR = 1.474; p < 0.001). This association's robustness was further indicated by multiple linear regression analyses (β = 0.086, p<0.001). The employees' health literacy significantly exceeds the national average for Chinese citizens, yet the qualified rate in the "Chronic Disease" dimension remains notably low. A majority of employees have the intention to invest in health, albeit modestly. Furthermore, while health literacy does positively influence health investment intention, this effect is somewhat limited. Accordingly, personalized Health education should be prioritized, with a focus on improving chronic disease knowledge and facilitating the internalization of health knowledge into health beliefs.

Pedagogical and Education-Related Measures suggested by the Algerian and British governments for the higher education sector during the COVID-19 pandemic – a comparative study

The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching effects, not only on public health but also on the global economy, social interactions, and daily life. It has highlighted the importance of global cooperation and the need for more investment in public health and emergency preparedness. The pandemic also exposed weaknesses in many countries’ educational management systems; it has forced many higher education institutions to adopt new teaching and learning methods to minimize the risk of transmission. This resulted in the need for comparative studies to evaluate the effectiveness of different pedagogical responses and to find common ground on the most effective practices and responses that would help higher education institutions better prepare for similar challenges in the future. The present study provides a comparative study and outcomes through a record of the pedagogical responses by higher education authorities in two completely different contexts (Algeria and the UK). The authors of the paper adopted a desktop analysis approach through valid and first-hand reliable sources like government and university official releases. This research methodology would involve a systematic and rigorous approach to data collection and analysis to ensure the reliability and validity of the research findings. Through coding and thematic analysis of the collected data, the researchers concluded that the efficiency of the responses and decisions adopted by higher education institutions varied depending on a range of factors such as the institution’s resources, infrastructure, and student population. However, the pandemic highlighted the need for agile and serious responses to ensure the safety and well-being of students and the campus community.

A Narrative Review on Emergence of Digital Biomarkers as the Future Frontiers in Medical Practice

The healthcare landscape has undergone a profound transformation due to digitalisation in recent decades, shifting from manual practices to automated processes. Digital biomarkers have become increasingly important in healthcare across multiple domains for regular monitoring of health parameters, aiding in early disease detection and prevention. The present narrative review aims to explore the utility and advantages of digital biomarkers in healthcare. Notably, the literature emphasises portable biomarkers capable of actively recording user data. These advanced biomarkers efficiently identify physiological, biochemical and psychological parameters, offering predictive capabilities for health conditions and treatment outcomes. In this dynamic healthcare landscape, digital science has brought transformative changes. Investments in digital health show promising outcomes for disease management and patient care. Overall, the integration of digital biomarkers into healthcare represents a significant leap forward in improving healthcare delivery, diagnosis and treatment. It leverages technology to enhance the precision and efficiency of healthcare, ultimately benefiting both healthcare professionals and patients. While the scope of digital biomarkers continues to expand and is expected to grow in the future, addressing potential challenges is essential for sustained innovation in this field.

Rural–Urban Divide in Mental Health Care in India: Bridging the Gaps

There are significant gaps in the distribution and utilization of mental health services between rural and urban areas in India. The rural–urban divide is prominently seen in livelihood opportunities and lifestyle, which is a matter of concern. Rural populations, constituting a large proportion in India and globally, exhibit distinct environmental profiles and lifestyle factors influencing mental health. Rural populations have unique choices regarding occupation, different social structures, expressions of illness, health belief systems, and help-seeking behavior. The treatment gap in rural regions stems from various factors, including inadequate investment in mental health, stigma, discrimination, low literacy levels, and poor motivation of mental health professionals for working in rural areas. The changes in social dynamics and family values further strain rural mental health care. India faces a considerable challenge in bridging the treatment gaps and providing mental health services that are accessible and acceptable in rural areas. The true implementation of the new Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 requires consideration of the ground realities of rural settings. While innovations and digital interventions show promise in bridging the inequalities in treatment settings, these need to be highly tailor-made keeping in view the local needs. Furthermore, integrating public mental health into general public health programs can alleviate the burden of mental disorders. It is imperative to recognize the positives in rural areas and establish effective links between urban and rural services which is crucial for providing comprehensive mental health care in these dynamic populations.

"Post-Protean" Public Health and the Geroscience Hypothesis.

Despite unprecedented investments in public health and biomedical research, improvements in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy have stagnated in the United States. Part of the reason for this development can be traced back to the influence of "Protean" over "Post-Protean" public health, the names that can be given to two contrasting visions of public health advanced in the early twentieth century. Protean public health prescribes "waging a war" against disease and was successful in reducing the early-life mortality risks from infectious disease. But Protean public health has proven less effective in improving the quality of life of older persons. Post-Protean public health prioritizes the experimental method and research into the indirect methods of improving health. It articulated a vision of public heath that was given a more concrete specification by Alex Comfort in what is now referred to as the Geroscience Hypothesis. To improve the health prospects of aging populations the dominance of Protean public health must be relaxed, to enable the benefits of Post-Protean public health to be realized. Doing so means shifting public health's aspirations towards increasing the healthspan vs "saving lives" by extending the duration of time older persons can survive by managing the multi-morbidities of late life.

Kenya Psychosis-Risk Outcomes Study (KePROS): Development of an Accelerated Medicine Partnership Schizophrenia-Aligned Project in Africa.

The Accelerating Medicines Partnership Schizophrenia (AMP SCZ) funds a longitudinal study of 43 research sites across 5 continents to develop tools to stratify developmental trajectories of youth at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR) and identify homogenous targets for future clinical trials. However, there are no sites in Africa, leaving a critical gap in our knowledge of clinical and biological outcomes among CHR individuals. We describe the development of the Kenya Psychosis-Risk Outcomes Study (KePROS), a 5-year NIH-funded project in Kenya designed to harmonize with AMP SCZ. The study will recruit over 100 CHR and 50 healthy participants and conduct multiple clinical and biomarker assessments over 2 years. Capacity building is a key component of the study, including the construction of an electroencephalography (EEG) laboratory and the upgrading of a local 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. We detail community recruitment, study methodologies and protocols, and unique challenges with this pioneering research in Africa. This paper is descriptive only. Planned future analyses will investigate possible predictors of clinical outcomes and will be compared to results from other global populations. KePROS will provide the research community with a rich longitudinal clinical and biomarker dataset from an African country in the developing Global South, which can be used alongside AMP SCZ data to delineate CHR outcome groups for future treatment development. Training in mental health assessment and investment in cutting-edge biomarker assessment and other technologies is needed to facilitate the inclusion of African countries in large-scale research consortia.

"Sickness has no time": Awareness and perceptions of health care workers on universal health coverage in Uganda.

Each person having access to needed health services, of sufficient quality, and without suffering financial hardship, defined as universal health coverage (UHC) by the World Health Organization, is critical to improve population health, particularly for vulnerable populations. UHC requires multisectoral collaboration and good governance, and this will require buy-in of key stakeholders; but their views are under-documented. The aim of this stakeholder analysis was to explore the awareness and perceptions of UHC by health care workers (HCWs) in Uganda. A mixed-methods study was conducted based on primary data from HCWs including an online QualtricsXM survey of 274 HCWs (from a database of persons who had received training at an academic institution), 23 key informant semi-structured interviews, and one eight-person focus group discussion. Data was collected from February to April 2022. Microsoft Excel and R Programme were used for quantitative analyses and NVivo version 12 for qualitative analyses. HCWs attributed a high level of importance to UHC in Uganda. Participants discussed national communication and management practices, organisational roles, health financing and power dynamics, health care demand and the impact of and learnings from COVID-19. Four main themes-each with related sub-themes-emerged from the interview data providing insights into: (1) communication, (2) organisation, (3) power, and (4) trust. There is a critical need for better communication of UHC targets by policymakers to improve understanding at a grassroots level. Results indicated that ensuring trust among the population through transparency in metrics and budgets, strong accountability measures, awareness of local cultural sensitivities, sensitisation of the UHC concept and community inclusion will be essential for a multisectoral roll out of UHC. Further provision of quality health services, a harmonisation of efforts, increased domestic health financing and investment of HCWs through fair remuneration will need to underpin the delivery of UHC.

Does Paternal Exposure to an Industrial Disaster affect Early Life Health Investments of Children?

Does Paternal Exposure to an Industrial Disaster affect Early Life Health Investments of Children?

Socio-Economic Consequences of Remittance on Households in Pokhara Valley

There has been a continuous discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of the continuously increasing remittance flows. On the one hand, few studies in different parts of the world have noted that remittances have increased conspicuous consumption and decreased the Labour supply for farming and agriculture. Instead, several others have shown how enhancing food, health, and education can help recipient households’ quality of life. Thus, this study aims to analyze the socio-economic consequences of remittance on households in Pokhara Valley Through the use of a structured questionnaire, data on how much money families who receive and do not receive remittances spend and invest on a variety of household activities, such as food, children’s health, education, consumer goods, and asset investment, were collected, compared and analyzed using various statistical tools like frequencies, mean, standard deviation and independent samples t-test. The association of the two categories of households of the study on involvement in agriculture and farming was examined using the chi-square test. The study has shown that the remittance income has increased the purchasing power of remittance-receiving households which has led to an increment in the spending capacity of those households. The results indicate that remittance positively affects the improvement of human capital as the remittance recipient households spend more on family members’ education and health services than remittance non-recipient households do. However, remittance has also resulted in conspicuous consumption and higher spending on non-productive activities. In addition, it has adversely affected the participation of recipient families on involvement in agriculture and farming, ultimately necessitating the importation of food grains. On this basis, it is recommended that the government should develop measures that can stimulate remittance recipient families on remittance investments in the development of the domestic economy, national output, and agricultural production rather than spending on unproductive activities.