[EQ] Soaring Food Prices: Facts, Perspectives, Impacts and Actions Required

 

High-Level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy

 

Rome, 3-5 June 2008

 

Website: http://www.fao.org/foodclimate/hlc-home/en/

 

 

“….Securing world food security in light of the impact of climate change may be one of the biggest challenges we face in this century.

An estimated 850 million people in the world today suffer from hunger. Of those, about 820 million live in developing countries, the very countries expected to be most affected by climate change. Governments, international organizations, civil society, the private sector and other actors, must work together to address these challenges and to devise appropriate strategies and responses….”

 

 

SOARING FOOD PRICES: FACTS, PERSPECTIVES, IMPACTS AND ACTIONS REQUIRED

 

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 28 May 2008

 

Available online PDF [50p.] at: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/foodclimate/HLCdocs/HLC08-inf-1-E.pdf

 

“….Further sharp price hikes and continued volatility in markets for food supplies appear to be likely for the next few seasons, according to a report released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the run-up to a summit on the global food crisis which is being held in Rome. 

 

FAO lists 22 countries that it says are particularly vulnerable to food price increases because of high levels of chronic hunger and because they are net importers of both food and fuel. The report cites Eritrea, Niger, Comoros, Haiti and Liberia as being especially at risk.

 

Participants at the 3-5 June summit will discuss how agriculture can be harnessed to produce enough food to meet the demands of the world’s growing population. Many Heads of State and Government , as well as UN Secretary-General and the heads of many UN organizations and the Bretton Woods institutions, will attend the event. The new international task force – brings together the heads of key UN agencies, the International Monetary Fund IMF, the World Bank and other international experts – on the global food crisis is due to present its action plan….”

 

Content:

 

I.    Introduction

II.   Brief assessment of recent developments

III.  What next?

IV.  Likely impacts of rising food prices

A.  Country-level impacts

B.  Household-level impacts of high food prices

V.  Policies for addressing high food prices: responses to date and policy options

 

Information documents
HLC/08/INF/1	Soaring food prices: facts, perspectives, impacts and actions required
HLC/08/INF/2	Climate change adaptation and mitigation: challenges and opportunities for food security	>
HLC/08/INF/3	Bioenergy, food security and sustainability - towards an international framework	border=0>
HLC/08/INF/4-Rev.1	Financial mechanisms for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change in the food and agriculture sectors	border=0>
HLC/08/INF/5	Climate change, bioenergy and food security: options for decision-makers identified by expert meetings	border=0>
HLC/08/INF/6	Climate change, bioenergy and food security: civil society and private sector perspectives	>
HLC/08/INF/7	Climate-related transboundary pests and diseases	>
HLC/08/INF/8	Provisional list of documents	>
HLC/08/INF/9-Rev.1	Arrangements for the High-level Conference and  information for participants
Technical background documents
HLC/08/BAK/1	Climate change adaptation and mitigation in the food and agriculture sector
HLC/08/BAK/2	Climate change, water and food security
HLC/08/BAK/3	Climate change and biodiversity for food and agriculture
HLC/08/BAK/4	Climate-related transboundary pests and diseases
HLC/08/BAK/5	Climate change and disaster risk management
HLC/08/BAK/6	Climate change and fisheries and aquaculture
HLC/08/BAK/7	Bioenergy policy, markets and trade and food security

 

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[EQ] Our cities, our health, our future

Our cities, our health, our future

 

Report to the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health from the Knowledge Network on Urban Settings (KNUS) 2008

Chair and Lead Writer: Tord Kjellstrom

 

Available online as PDF file [199p.] at: http://www.who.int/social_determinants/resources/knus_final_report_052008.pdf

 

Which aspects of urban settings influence health equity?

This KNUS report summarizes the findings concerning structural and intermediate social determinants of health that are of importance in the urban setting. The framework of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) guided the work. While unmasking the health inequities and inequalities in urban settings, it was decided at an early stage to make a strategic focus on slums and informal settlements where one billion people live in deplorable conditions.

 

This number may double in coming decades unless appropriate policies for economic, social and health equity are developed and implemented. An example of the health inequalities in these circumstances is the strong gradient in infant and child mortality rates within Nairobi, Kenya, with rates in the slums more than three times higher than the city average and possibly ten or more times higher than in the richer parts of the city. Other data from Africa shows that these mortality Rates among the urban poor are, on average, almost as high as the rates among the rural poor, while among the richer urban groups the rates are the lowest.

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. INTRODUCTION

2. URBANIZATION AND THE URBAN SETTING AS HEALTH DETERMINANTS

2.1 Urbanization in a global context

2.2 Slum formation with rapid urbanization

2.3 A conceptual framework for urban health

2.4 The economics of urban health development

2.5 Poverty, deprived urban living conditions and health vulnerability

2.6 Healthy urban governance

3. THE URBAN HEALTH SITUATION

3.1 Burden of disease and communicable diseases

3.2 Injuries and violence

3.3 Mental health and substance abuse

3.4 Noncommunicable diseases and nutritional disorders

4. KEY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN ACHIEVING HEALTH EQUITY

5. A BROAD SPECTRUM OF INTERVENTIONS

6. APPROACHES AND POLICIES TO MAKE INTERVENTIONS HAPPEN

7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

7.1 The urban setting as a health determinant

7.2 The urban health situation

7.3 Key issues and concepts of health equity impacts

7.4 A broad spectrum of interventions

7.5 Approaches and policies to make interventions happen

ENDNOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

 

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[EQ] Social determinants of health: a call for papers

Social determinants of health: a call for papers

 

The Lancet, Volume 371, Number 9627, 31 May 2008

 

Website: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673608607722/fulltext

 

“…..On Nov 8, 2008, The Lancet will publish a theme issue devoted to the social determinants of health. We invite submission of research papers, reviews, viewpoints, and comments with an emphasis on action—what the doctor, public-health worker, policy maker, and politician can do to reduce inequalities and tackle the broad interplay of economic and social forces affecting health.

 

This theme issue will be produced in parallel with a conference being held in London (Nov 6–7,2008) called :
Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity Through Action on the Social Determinants of Health

 

The conference also aims to identify actions based on recommendations set out by the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. That Commission, chaired by Michael Marmot, will publish its final report after the summer. Launched in 2005, the Commission has used an ambitious process of knowledge networks, country consultations, and wide engagement with civil society and academia to devise a global strategy to realise longstanding hopes for health equity.

 

One telling example of the complexity the Commission will have to grapple with was provided last week by Save the Children. In its report The Road Less Travelled: Barriers to Poor Children's Healthcare Utilisation in Developing and Transitional Countries, Save the Children described how the child mortality gap is widening in the world's poorest countries. Transport can cost as much as half the total cost of health care. Corruption can be a major obstacle to preventive services, such as vaccination. And high drug prices can dissuade families from purchasing the care they need.

 

In the Commission's interim report, Marmot described health as “a universal human aspiration and a basic human need”. Although that view commands wide medical and political support, translating this vision into a practical, realisable, and affordable plan has proven beyond the ability of most nations. The Commission's work is an opportunity to turn advocacy into action. The Lancet invites clinical and public-health scientists and practitioners to make their contribution to this unprecedented international event….”

 

WHO: http://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/

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[EQ] Low socio-economiceconomic position is associated with poor social networks and social

Low socio-economiceconomic position is associated with poor social networks and social

support: results from the Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study

 

Simone Weyers1§, Nico Dragano1, Susanne Möbus 2, Eva-Maria Beck 2 , Andreas

Stang 4, Stephan Möhlenkamp3 , Karl Heinz Jöckel 2 , Raimund Erbel3, Johannes Siegrist1

 

1 Department of Medical Sociology, University Duesseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Duesseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, Duesseldorf, Germany

2 Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University Hospital,University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany

3 West German Heart Center Essen, University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany

4 Institute of Medical Epidemiology, Biometry and Informatics, Medical Faculty,Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany

International Journal for Equity in Health – May 2008, 7:13

 

http://www.equityhealthj.com/content/pdf/1475-9276-7-13.pdf

 

Background Social networks and social support are supposed to contribute to the development of unequal health within populations. However, little is known about their socio-economic distribution. In this study, we explore this distribution.

Methods This study analyses the association of two indicators of socio-economic position, education and income, with different measures of social networks and support. Cross-sectional data have been derived from the baseline examination of an epidemiological cohort study of 4.814 middle aged urban inhabitants in Germany (Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were carried out to estimate the risk of having poor social networks and support across socio-economic groups.

Results Socially disadvantaged persons more often report poor social networks and social support. In multivariate analyses, based on education, odds ratios range from 1.0 (highest education) to 4.9 (lowest education) in a graded way. Findings based on income show similar effects, ranging from 1.0 to 2.5. There is one exception: no association of SEP with close ties living nearby and regularly seen was observed.

Conclusion Poor social networks and low social support are more frequent among socio-economically disadvantaged people. To some extent, this finding varies according to the indicator chosen to measure these social constructs.

 

 

 

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[EQ] The Economics of Early Childhood Policy

The Economics of Early Childhood Policy

 

What the Dismal Science Has  to Say About Investing in Children

 

M. Rebecca Kilburn, Lynn A. Karoly

RAND Corporation, Sponsored by Casey Family Programs, 2008

 

Website: http://rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/OP227/

 

“……Scientific discoveries over the past two decades have transformed the way in which researchers, policymakers, and the public think about early childhood. For example, recent research in brain science has provided a biological basis for prevailing theories about early child development, and cost-benefit analysis has reoriented some of the discussion about early childhood toward prevention programs. Several recent reports have been particularly helpful in translating research findings into practical information that improves policy.

This paper summarizes the contributions from the field of economics, which has played an increasingly prominent role in recent discussions about early childhood policy. The insights from economics also have broader implications for social programs focused on prevention, especially during childhood, rather than later-in-life remediation. This research will be of value to individuals who are interested in early childhood policy, including decision makers in the public and private sectors, service providers, and the public more generally. …”

 

 

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[EQ] Canada - Health Indicators 2008

Canada - Health Indicators 2008

 

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI and Statistics Canada, May 2008

 

Website: http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=PG_1350_E&cw_topic=1350&cw_rel=AR_152_E

 

PDF file [96p.] at: http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=download_form_e&cw_sku=HI08ENPDF&cw_ctt=1&cw_dform=N

 

“….Hospitalization rates vary across the country for seven chronic conditions that could potentially be managed or treated in the community, known as ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC).This report measures ambulatory care sensitive conditions ACSC admission rates in health regions across Canada and explores the factors that contribute to higher or lower rates. Ambulatory care sensitive conditions ACSC such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension.

 

This year’s report includes results for more health regions with a population greater than 50,000 (encompassing about 98% of Canada’s population) and for provinces and territories. This enhancement increases the number of regions included in this report from 71 up to 80. Following the Health Indicator Framework, each indicator is grouped into one of the following four dimensions:

• Health status—provides insight on the health of Canadians, including well-being, human function and selected health conditions.

• Non-medical determinants of health—reflect factors outside of the health system that affect health.

• Health system performance—provides insight on the quality of health services, including accessibility, appropriateness, effectiveness and patient safety.

• Community and health system characteristics—provide useful contextual information, rather than direct measures of health status or quality of care.

 

Health Indicators 2008 also provides an in-depth analysis of one indicator—hospital admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC). This indicator includes seven chronic conditions that can potentially be effectively managed in the community but may result in hospitalization in an acute care facility. They are:

• angina;

• asthma;

• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);

• diabetes;

• grand mal status and other epileptic convulsions;

• heart failure and pulmonary edema; and
• hypertension

 

 

Content:

 

Executive Summary

Health Indicator Framework

In Focus: Hospitalization Rates for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions

What the Numbers Tell Us

Regional Variations

Factors Affecting ACSC Hospitalizations

Variations by Age

Variations by Sex

Rural and Urban Variations

Variations by Income

What Is Being Done

Information Gaps

References
Health Indicators—Region by Region
Health Region Profile

Health Status

Non-Medical Determinants of Health

Health System Performance

Community and Health System Characteristics

General Notes

Indicator Index
Regional Map

 

 

 

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