Articles

Gender disparities in clinical practice: are there any solutions? Scoping review of interventions to overcome or reduce gender bias in clinical practice

Authors: Lorena Alcalde-Rubio, Ildefonso Hernández-Aguado, Lucy Anne Parker, Eduardo Bueno-Vergara and Elisa Chilet-Rosell

Tracking health sector priority setting processes and outcomes for human resources for health, five-years after political devolution: a county-level case study in Kenya

Health sector priority setting in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) entails balancing between a high demand and low supply of scarce resources. Human Resources for Health (HRH) consume the largest alloca...

Authors: Joshua Munywoki, Nancy Kagwanja, Jane Chuma, Jacinta Nzinga, Edwine Barasa and Benjamin Tsofa

Hierarchical two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method: measuring the spatial accessibility to hierarchical healthcare facilities in Shenzhen, China

Spatial accessibility to healthcare facilities has drawn much attention in health geography. In China, central and local governments have aimed to develop a well-organized hierarchical system of healthcare fac...

Authors: Zhuolin Tao, Yang Cheng and Jixiang Liu

Financial risk protection of Thailand’s universal health coverage: results from series of national household surveys between 1996 and 2015

Thailand, an upper-middle income country, has demonstrated exemplary outcomes of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The country achieved full population coverage and a high level of financial risk protection sin...

Authors: Viroj Tangcharoensathien, Kanjana Tisayaticom, Rapeepong Suphanchaimat, Vuthiphan Vongmongkol, Shaheda Viriyathorn and Supon Limwattananon

Values are not enough: qualitative study identifying critical elements for prioritization of health equity in health systems

Health system policies and programs that reduce health inequities and improve health outcomes are essential to address unjust social gradients in health. Prioritization of health equity is fundamental to addre...

Authors: Thea van Roode, Bernadette M. Pauly, Lenora Marcellus, Heather Wilson Strosher, Sana Shahram, Phuc Dang, Alex Kent and Marjorie MacDonald

Targeting vulnerable groups of health poverty alleviation in rural China— what is the role of the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme for the middle age and elderly population?

In light of the health poverty alleviation policy, we explore whether the New Rural Cooperative Medical System (NRCMS) has effectively reduced the economic burden of medical expenses on rural middle-aged and e...

Authors: Nianshi Wang, Jing Xu, Meiyan Ma, Linghan Shan, Mingli Jiao, Qi Xia, Wanxin Tian, Xiyu Zhang, Limin Liu, Yanhua Hao, Lijun Gao, Qunhong Wu and Ye Li

Factors associated with cervical cancer screening participation among migrant women in Europe: a scoping review

Cervical cancer screening has been effective in reducing incidence and mortality of cervical cancer, leading European countries to implement screening programs. However, migrant women show lower screening part...

Authors: Patrícia Marques, Mariana Nunes, Maria da Luz Antunes, Bruno Heleno and Sónia Dias

Intersectional equity in health care: assessing complex inequities in primary and secondary care utilization by gender and education in northern Sweden

Knowledge remains scarce about inequities in health care utilization between groups defined, not only by single, but by multiple and intersecting social categories. This study aims to estimate intersectional h...

Authors: Fortune N. Nyamande, Paola A. Mosquera, Miguel San Sebastián and Per E. Gustafsson

Socio-economic inequalities in suffering at the end of life among advanced cancer patients: results from the APPROACH study in five Asian countries

A systematic understanding of socio-economic inequalities in end-of-life (EOL) suffering among advanced cancer patients is required to inform efforts to reduce these inequalities as part of Universal Health Co...

Authors: Chetna Malhotra, Anirudh Krishnan, Jing Rong Yong, Irene Teo, Semra Ozdemir, Xiao Hong Ning, Thushari Hapuarachchi, Gayatri Palat, Sushma Bhatnagar, Anjum Khan Joad, Pham Nguyen Tuong, Wynn Mon Ssu and Eric Finkelstein

Do multiple community-based interventions on health promotion tackle health inequalities?

Previous systematic reviews of the impact of multi-component community-based health promotion interventions on reducing health inequalities by socio-economic status (SES) were restricted to physical activity a...

Authors: Stefan Nickel and Olaf von dem Knesebeck

Tenofovir for prevention of mother to child transmission of hepatitis B in migrant women in a resource-limited setting on the Thailand-Myanmar border: a commentary on challenges of implementation

The aim of this manuscript is to highlight challenges in the implementation of maternal tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (tenofovir) for prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HB...

Authors: M. Bierhoff, M. J. Rijken, W. Yotyingaphiram, M. Pimanpanarak, M. van Vugt, C. Angkurawaranon, F. Nosten, S. Ehrhardt, C. L. Thio and R. McGready

Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic – the role of leadership in the Arab ethnic minority in Israel

The Arab ethnic minority makes up 21% of Israel’s population, yet comprised just 8.8% of confirmed cases and 3.6% of deaths from COVID-19, despite their higher risk profile and greater burden of underlying ill...

Authors: Mor Saban, Vicki Myers and Rachel Wilf-Miron

Covid-19 in Israel: socio-demographic characteristics of first wave morbidity in Jewish and Arab communities

The first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic hit Israel in late February 2020. The present study examines patterns of the first wave of Covid-19 morbidity in Israel at the macro level, during the period of late Feb...

Authors: Daphna Birenbaum-Carmeli and Judith Chassida

Improving public hospital efficiency and fiscal space implications: the case of Mauritius

General Government Health Expenditure (GGHE) in Mauritius accounted for only 10% of General Government Expenditure for the fiscal year 2018. This is less than the pledge taken under the Abuja 2001 Declaration ...

Authors: Ajoy Nundoochan

Trends in adolescent first births in sub-Saharan Africa: a tale of increasing inequity?

Single aggregate figures for adolescent pregnancy may fail to demonstrate particular population groups where rates are very high, or where progress has been slow. In addition, most indicators fail to separate ...

Authors: Sarah Neal, Andrew Amos Channon, Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli and Nyovani Madise

Inequitable access to an outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy service: linked cross-sectional study

To assess whether Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) is provided equitably across gender and social groups in a tertiary care setting.

Authors: Colin Sumpter, Clark D. Russell and Claire Mackintosh

Characterizing street-connected children and youths’ social and health inequities in Kenya: a qualitative study

Street-connected children and youth (SCY) in Kenya disproportionately experience preventable morbidities and premature mortality. We theorize these health inequities are socially produced and result from syste...

Authors: L. Embleton, P. Shah, A. Gayapersad, R. Kiptui, D. Ayuku and P. Braitstein

Understanding long-term HIV survivorship among African American/Black and Latinx persons living with HIV in the United States: a qualitative exploration through the lens of symbolic violence

Persons living with HIV (PLWH) are living longer, although racial/ethnic and socioeconomic status (SES) disparities persist. Yet, little is known about the experience of living with and managing HIV over decad...

Authors: Robert Freeman, Marya Gwadz, Leo Wilton, Linda M. Collins, Caroline Dorsen, Robert L. Hawkins, Elizabeth Silverman, Belkis Y. Martinez, Noelle R. Leonard, Amanda Applegate and Sabrina Cluesman

Disease experiences of female patients with Hansen’s disease residing in settlement in Korea

The purpose of this study was to identify female Hansen’s disease experience in settlement village in Korea.

Authors: Ho Gi Jung and Ya Ki Yang

Assessing and decomposing inequality of opportunity in access to child health and nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from three countries with low human development index

Inequality of opportunity in health and nutrition is a major public health issue in the developing regions. This study analyzed the patterns and extent of inequality of opportunity in health and nutrition amon...

Authors: Yacobou Sanoussi, Bright Opoku Ahinkorah, Aduragbemi Banke-Thomas and Sanni Yaya

Comparison of inpatient distribution amongst different medical alliances in a county: a longitudinal study on a healthcare reform in rural China

China has launched the medical alliances (MAs) reform to drive the development of primary medical institutions and decrease health inequality in rural areas. Three different types of MAs were built to promote ...

Authors: Yifan Ran, Hongxia Gao, Dan Han, Guilin Hou, Yingchun Chen and Yan Zhang

Unspoken inequality: how COVID-19 has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities of asylum-seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants in South Africa

An estimated 2 million foreign-born migrants of working age (15–64) were living in South Africa (SA) in 2017. Structural and practical xenophobia has driven asylum-seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants ...

Authors: Ferdinand C. Mukumbang, Anthony N. Ambe and Babatope O. Adebiyi

The challenges of COVID-19 in the Brazilian Amazonian communities and the importance of seroepidemiological surveillance studies

The emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has alarmed the world with its high rate of transmission and the ability to cause severe and fatal disease. The impact of this ...

Authors: Antonio Carlos Rosário Vallinoto, Maria Karoliny da Silva Torres, Mariana Cayres Vallinoto and Izaura M. V. Cayres Vallinoto

Education-related variation in coronary procedure rates and the contribution of private health care in Australia: a prospective cohort study

Contemporary Australian evidence on socioeconomic variation in secondary cardiovascular disease (CVD) care, a possible contributor to inequalities in cardiovascular disease outcomes, is lacking. This study exa...

Authors: Veronica Hughes, Ellie Paige, Jennifer Welsh, Grace Joshy, Emily Banks and Rosemary J. Korda

Assessing inequalities and regional disparities in child nutrition outcomes in India using MANUSH – a more sensitive yardstick

India is strongly committed to reducing the burden of child malnutrition, which has remained a persistent concern. Findings from recent surveys indicate co-existence of child undernutrition, micronutrient defi...

Authors: Ayushi Jain and Satish B. Agnihotri

COVID-19 response strategies: considering inequalities between and within countries

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has been uncharted territory, and countries and governments have faced the challenge of implementing response strategies to manage local transmission. High-income settings have ...

Authors: Lincoln Leehang Lau, Natalee Hung and Kendall Wilson

Vulnerability and agency across treatment-seeking journeys for acutely ill children: how family members navigate complex healthcare before, during and after hospitalisation in a rural Kenyan setting

Child mortality rates during hospitalisation for acute illness and after discharge are unacceptably high in many under-resourced settings. Childhood vulnerability to recurrent illness, and death, is linked to ...

Authors: Scholastica M. Zakayo, Rita W. Njeru, Gladys Sanga, Mary N. Kimani, Anderson Charo, Kui Muraya, Haribondhu Sarma, Md. Fakhar Uddin, James A. Berkley, Judd L. Walson, Maureen Kelley, Vicki Marsh and Sassy Molyneux

Association between direct government subsidies and service scope of primary care facilities: a cross-sectional study in China

Comprehensive primary care practices, through preconception, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative care, have been a global priority in the promotion of health. However, the scope of primary care services h...

Authors: Zhong Li, Peiyin Hung, Ruibo He and Liang Zhang

Psychosocial resources developed and trialled for Indigenous people with autism spectrum disorder and their caregivers: a systematic review and catalogue

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face many psychosocial challenges throughout life, highlighting the need for programs and resources promoting psychosocial wellbeing. Indigenous peoples with ASD and/...

Authors: Ian M. Shochet, Jayne A. Orr, Rachel L. Kelly, Astrid M. Wurfl, Beth R. Saggers and Suzanne B. Carrington

Evaluation of the effectiveness of comprehensive drug price reform: a case study from Shihezi city in Western China

China carried out a comprehensive drug price reform (CDPR) in 2017 to control the growing expense of drug effectively and reduce the financial burden of inpatients. However, early studies in pilot regions foun...

Authors: Taoyu Lin, Zhaohui Wu, Menming Liu, Xiangwei Wu and Xinping Zhang

Equality and poverty: views from managers and professionals from public services and household heads in the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Area, Brazil

Tackling poverty requires reconsideration of quantitative factors related to “who” is poor and by “how much” and qualitative factors addressing “what poverty means in these individuals’ lives”. Greater underst...

Authors: Viviane Helena de França, Celina Maria Modena and Ulisses Eugenio Cavalcanti Confalonieri

Disability inclusiveness of government responses to COVID-19 in South America: a framework analysis study

Disabled people are particularly exposed to the risks of COVID-19, as well as to the measures taken to address it, and their impact. The aim of the study was to examine the disability-inclusiveness of governme...

Authors: Dikaios Sakellariou, Ana Paula Serrata Malfitano and Elena S. Rotarou

Axes of alienation: applying an intersectional lens on the social contract during the pandemic response to protect sexual and reproductive rights and health

While economic inequalities have been a key focus of attention through the COVID 19 pandemic, gendered relations of power at every level have undermined health rights of women, girls and gender diverse individ...

Authors: Jashodhara Dasgupta, Marta Schaaf, Sana Qais Contractor, Amanda Banda, Marisa Viana, Oksana Kashyntseva and Ana Lorena Ruano

Effects of social network diversity in the disablement process: a comparison of causal inference methods and an outcome-wide approach to the Indonesian Family Life Surveys, 2007–2015

Social networks (SN) have been proven to be instrumental for healthy aging and function as important safety nets, particular for older adults in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite the importance ...

Authors: Julia Schröders, Fatwa Sari Tetra Dewi, Maria Nilsson, Mark Nichter and Miguel San Sebastian

Geographic Targeting and Normative Frames: Revisiting the Equity of Conditional Cash Transfer Program Distribution in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru

Four Andean countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru introduced national health-focused conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs in the 2000s. This study probes whether policymakers in these countries...

Authors: Mathieu J. P. Poirier

A methodology for small area prevalence estimation based on survey data

Brazil conducts many health surveys to provide estimates by national level, macro-regions, states, metropolitan regions and capitals. However, estimates for smaller areas are lacking due to their high cost. Th...

Authors: Regina Tomie Ivata Bernal, Quéren Hapuque de Carvalho, Jill P. Pell, Alastair H. Leyland, Ruth Dundas, Mauricio Lima Barreto and Deborah Carvalho Malta

Tackling segmentation to advance universal health coverage: analysis of policy architectures of health care in Chile and Uruguay

With the turn of the century, most countries in Latin America witnessed an increased concern with universalism and redistribution. In the health sector, this translated into a wide range of reforms to advance ...

Authors: Pamela Bernales-Baksai

Measuring socioeconomic and health financing inequality in maternal mortality in Colombia: a mixed methods approach

Understanding health financing reforms and means is key to evaluate how maternal health has improved. Problems related to health financing policies are contributing to inadequate quality of care and inequitabl...

Authors: Juan Carlos Rivillas, Raúl Devia-Rodriguez and Marie-Gloriose Ingabire

Maternal height associated with cesarean section. A cross-sectional study using the 2014–2015 national maternal-child health survey in Guatemala

Socioeconomic status is associated with cesarean section (CS). Maternal height, however, may be another related factor to CS. In Guatemala, a quarter of women between 15 and 49 years of age are shorter than 14...

Authors: Evelyn Roldán, Laura M Grajeda and Wilton Pérez

Need and inequality in the use of health care services in a fragmented and decentralized health system: evidence for Argentina

The high fragmentation and decentralization in the provision of health care services that characterizes Argentina’s health system, as well as the economic and social inequalities, challenge the achievement of ...

Authors: Alfredo Palacios, Natalia Espinola and Carlos Rojas-Roque

Barriers to access and organization of primary health care services for rural riverside populations in the Amazon

The ways of life in the Amazon are diverse and not widely known. In addition, social inequities, large geographic distances and inadequate health care network noticeably limit access to health services in rura...

Authors: Luiza Garnelo, Rosana Cristina Pereira Parente, Maria Laura Rezende Puchiarelli, Priscilla Cabral Correia, Matheus Vasconcelos Torres and Fernando José Herkrath

Indigenous engagement in health: lessons from Brazil, Chile, Australia and New Zealand

Given the persistence of Indigenous health inequities across national contexts, many countries have adopted strategies to improve the health of Indigenous peoples. Governmental recognition of the unique health...

Authors: Angeline Ferdinand, Michelle Lambert, Leny Trad, Leo Pedrana, Yin Paradies and Margaret Kelaher

A model of disparities: risk factors associated with COVID-19 infection

By mid-May 2020, there were over 1.5 million cases of (SARS-CoV-2) or COVID-19 across the U.S. with new confirmed cases continuing to rise following the re-opening of most states. Prior studies have focused ma...

Authors: Yelena Rozenfeld, Jennifer Beam, Haley Maier, Whitney Haggerson, Karen Boudreau, Jamie Carlson and Rhonda Medows

“Bayis Ilh Tus – a strong breath” a community-based research project to estimate the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in remote and rural first nations communities in Canada: research protocol

Respiratory health conditions appear to be more common among First Nations people versus non-First Nations people in Canada. However, the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its asso...

Authors: Justin Turner, Travis Holyk, Karen Bartlett, Benna Rathburn, Barbara Karlen, Francis Ervin, Jennifer Wilson and Pat G. Camp

Measuring socioeconomic gaps in nutrition and early child development in Bolivia

A large body of evidence shows that socioeconomic status (SES) is strongly associated to children’s early development, health and nutrition. Few studies have looked at within sample differences across multiple...

Authors: Pablo Celhay, Sebastian Martinez and Cecilia Vidal

Erosion of universal health coverage and trend in the frequency of physician consultations in Spain

We studied the frequency of physician visits in the native and immigrant populations in Spain before and after implementation of a governmental measure to restrict the use of public healthcare services by undo...

Authors: Lourdes Lostao, Elena Ronda, Cruz Pascual, Lucía Cea-Soriano, Almudena Moreno and Enrique Regidor

COVID-19 in Yemen: a crisis within crises

Yemen is suffering deadly airstrikes and heavy bombardment since March 2015 which has created one of the most severe humanitarian crises worldwide. In this miserable situation, several communicable diseases ha...

Authors: Seyyed Meysam Mousavi and Mina Anjomshoa

Impact of maternal death reviews at a rural hospital in Zambia: a mixed methods study

Maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa remains high despite programmatic efforts to improve maternal health. In 2007, the Zambian Ministry of Health mandated facility-based maternal death review (MDR) progra...

Authors: Jean-Bertin Bukasa Kabuya, Arthur Mataka, Gerald Chongo, Luc Kambale Kamavu, Priscilla N’gandu Chola, Christine Manyando, Vincent De Brouwere and Matthew M. Ippolito

Socioeconomic differences in caesarean section – are they explained by medical need? An analysis of patient record data of a large Kenyan hospital

Caesarean section (C-section) rates are often low among the poor and very high among the better-off in low- and middle-income countries. We examined to what extent these differences are explained by medical ne...

Authors: Lisa van der Spek, Sterre Sanglier, Hillary M. Mabeya, Thomas van den Akker, Paul L. J. M. Mertens and Tanja A. J. Houweling

When accountability meets power: realizing sexual and reproductive health and rights

This paper addresses a critical concern in realizing sexual and reproductive health and rights through policies and programs – the relationship between power and accountability. We examine accountability strat...

Authors: Gita Sen, Aditi Iyer, Sreeparna Chattopadhyay and Rajat Khosla