[EQ] Health in the Americas, 2007 Edition

 

          Health in the Americas, 2007

Pan American Health Organization PAHO/WHO - October 2007

Available online at: http://www.paho.org/HIA/index.html  [ Available in English and Spanish]  

"....The Regional Volume includes an opening chapter that provides an overview of health in terms of the Millennium Development Goals; of the health status continuum—the unfinished agenda, the protection of health gains, and the confrontation of emerging threats; and of the national and international health sector response to that health status. Also added is a final chapter that contemplates a vision of the future of public health in the Region in the context of the Health Agenda for the Americas, 2008 - 2017, with commentaries from a number of distinguished international experts.

Each of the intervening chapters commences with an introductory summary, which is set off from the main text with a different format. Color is used throughout the volume to assure the clarity of graphic material. Finally,as one of the main purposes of the series Health in the Americasis to trace regional trends in health conditions and health systems over time, complementing this edition are quotations from the Directors of the Organization—from Hugh S.Cumming in the 1920s to Mirta Roses Periago in the 21st century— that are germane to the subjects of the various chapters.

The Country Volume presents maps of each country and territory, as well as short notices that highlight a specific health challenge and the response of the national health sector to that challenge.

Throughout both volumes, text boxes are introduced to provide additional material; figures and tables are inserted as close as possible to their in-text mention; and bibliographic references are included.

In addition to the present iteration of past trends in the Region this edition provides a vision of the future of health in the Americas. Distinguished leaders with profound experience in international health offer their remarks on the "Health Agenda for the Americas, 2008-2017". These leaders include: George A.O. Alleyne, Stephen Blount, Paolo Buss, Nils Kastberg, Gustavo Kourí, Jay McAuliffe, Sylvie Stachenko, Muthu Subramanian, Ricardo Uauy, and Marijke Velzeboer-Salcedo.

The two volumes of Health in the Americas, 2007 Edition, present information for the 2000-2005 period.

Volume I examines health in the Americas from a Regional perspective. Among other issues, the volume's six chapters analyze:
- the political, social, and economic context of health, as well as important demographic and mortality trends;
- the leading diseases and health problems in the period and efforts to prevent and control them;
- the structure and functioning of health systems in the Region and efforts to reform them, and
- the scope and impact of international cooperation in health.

Contents
Regional Volume

An overview of regional health

Chapter 1: Health in the context of development 
HTM: http://www.paho.org/HIA/vol1regionalingcap1.html 
PDF [30p.] at: http://www.paho.org/HIA/archivosvol1/volregionaling/HIA07%20Regional%20Volume%20ENG%20Ch%201.pdf  

Chapter 2: Health conditions and trends 
HTM: http://www.paho.org/HIA/vol1regionalingcap2.html 
PDF [150p.] at: http://www.paho.org/HIA/archivosvol1/volregionaling/HIA07%20Regional%20Volume%20ENG%20Ch%202.pdf 

Chapter 3: Sustainable development and environmental health 
HTM: http://www.paho.org/HIA/vol1regionalingcap3.html
PDF [90p.] at: http://www.paho.org/HIA/archivosvol1/volregionaling/HIA07%20Regional%20Volume%20ENG%20Ch%203.pdf 

Chapter 4: Public policies and health systems and services 
HTM: http://www.paho.org/HIA/vol1regionalingcap4.html
PDF [84p.] at: http://www.paho.org/HIA/archivosvol1/volregionaling/HIA07%20Regional%20Volume%20ENG%20Ch%204.pdf 

Chapter 5: Health and internacional cooperation 
HTM: http://www.paho.org/HIA/vol1regionalingcap5.html
PDF [19p.] at: http://www.paho.org/HIA/archivosvol1/volregionaling/HIA07%20Regional%20ENG%20Ch%205.pdf  

Chapter 6: Prospects for regional health 
HTM: http://www.paho.org/HIA/vol1regionalingcap6.html
PDF [22p.] at: http://www.paho.org/HIA/archivosvol1/volregionaling/HIA07%20Regional%20ENG%20Ch%206%20.pdf 

Contributors : http://www.paho.org/HIA/vol1regionalingcont.html  

Volume II Country Volume tackles these same issues from a national perspective and includes information on progress towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals. This volume has 46 chapters covering information and analysis for each of the countries or territories in the Americas.

A series of highlighted profiles on health challenges and how the respective national health sector is responding to those challenges are presented for each of the countries.

Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Aruba Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda Bolivia Brazil British Virgin Islands Canada Cayman Islands Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique Grenada

Guatemala Guyana Haiti (Version in French) Honduras Jamaica Mexico Montserrat Netherlands Antilles Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Puerto Rico Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands United States of America Uruguay Venezuela United States-Mexico Border Area

PAHO Publications: http://publications.paho.org/product.php?productid=911   

Fact Sheet: http://www.paho.org/HIA/documentos/Ingles/HIAFactSheets2colr07.pdf  

Booklet [33p.] at: http://www.paho.org/HIA/documentos/Ingles/HIAbookletCompiled%20-%20Ingles.pdf  

 
 

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ IKM Area]  "Materials provided in this
electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings and interpretations included
in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAHO/WHO Website: http://www.paho.org/ 
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    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.  

[EQ] Networks and social capital: a relational approach to primary healthcare reform

          Networks and social capital: a relational approach to primary healthcare reform

Catherine Scott, Knowledge into Action Department, Calgary Health Region, and Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada
Anne Hofmeyer, Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Health Research Policy and Systems - September 2007, 5:9 doi:10.1186/1478-4505-5-9

Available online PDF [28p.] at: http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content/pdf/1478-4505-5-9.pdf 

".....Collaboration among health care providers and across systems is proposed as a strategy to improve health care delivery the world over. Over the past two decades, health care providers have been encouraged to work in partnership and build interdisciplinary teams. More recently, the notion of networks has entered this discourse but the lack of consensus and understanding about what is meant by adopting a network approach in health services limits its use.

Also crucial to this discussion is the work of distinguishing the nature and extent of the impact of social relationships - generally referred to as social capital. In this paper, we review the rationale for collaboration in health care systems; provide an overview and synthesis of key concepts; dispel some common misconceptions of networks; and apply the theory to an example of primary healthcare network reform in Alberta (Canada).

Our central thesis is that a relational approach to systems change, one based on a synthesis of network theory and social capital can provide the foundation for a multifocal approach to primary healthcare reform. Action strategies are recommended to move from an awareness of ‘networks’ to fully translating knowledge from existing theory to guide planning and practice innovations. Decision-makers are encouraged to consider a multi-focal approach that effectively incorporates a network and social capital approach in planning and evaluating primary healthcare reform....."

*...*...*...*...*...*     
This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ IKM Area] 

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAHO/WHO Website: http://www.paho.org/ 
EQUITY List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html

 

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.  

[EQ] Income inequality measures

Income inequality measures

Fernando G De Maio, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health; October 2007 (Volume 61, Number 10)

Website: http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/61/10/849

"....The Gini coefficient has been the most popular method for operationalising income inequality in the public health literature. However, a number of alternative methods exist, and they offer researchers the means to develop a more nuanced understanding of the distribution of income. Income inequality measures such as the generalised entropy index and the Atkinson index offer the ability to examine the effects of inequalities in different areas of the income spectrum, enabling more meaningful quantitative assessments of qualitatively different inequalities. This glossary provides a conceptual introduction to these and other income inequality measures...."

Gini coefficient, By far the most popular measure of income inequality, the Gini coefficient^15–18 is derived from the Lorenz curve framework ^. The Lorenz curve shows the percentage of total income earned by cumulative percentage of the population.

Atkinson index More precisely labelled a family of income inequality measures

Coefficient of variation (CV) This measure of income inequality is calculated by the dividing the standard deviation of the income distribution by its mean.

Decile ratios A simple but effective way to examine income inequality is to calculate decile ratios.

Generalised entropy (GE) index

Kakwani progressivity index, builds from the Gini framework.

Proportion of total income earned. The proportion of income received by the poorest nth% of the population is one of the most intuitive measures of income inequality.

Robin Hood index, also known as the Pietra ratio

Sen poverty measure, incorporates the Gini coefficient for people living below the poverty line along with the headcount ratio of poverty and the average income of those below the poverty line...."

 

*...*...*...*...*...*     
This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ IKM Area] 

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAHO/WHO Website: http://www.paho.org/ 
EQUITY List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html

 

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.