Tuesday, March 18, 2008

[EQ] Inequalities in Health and Health Care

Inequalities in Health and Health Care

 

Course Location: University of GenevaSwitzerland

Dates: May 5 to 9, 2008

Website: http://www.hec.unil.ch/iems/Enseignement/contact/telechargement

 

Lecturers:

Prof. Eddy van Doorslaer (Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands)

Dr Owen O’Donnell (University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece)

 

Description:  This course is intended for PhD students and other junior researchers interested in the quantitative analysis of inequality and inequity in health and health care. The course consists of five days of lectures and tutorials on a number of topics related to the measurement and explanation of inequities/inequalities in health. Apart from providing a general introduction into the range of approaches available to researchers, it will also provide practical experience of computation using Stata. Illustrations will be based on real-world examples drawn from evidence in European and other OECD countries, as well as developing countries.

 

Objectives: 

·         To review health economics approaches to the measurement of inequality and inequity (most of which were developed in the context of the European ECuity Project)

·         To provide detailed guidance on computational procedures using Stata

·         To provide hands-on experience with computation-based exercises

 

Course text:

O. O’Donnell, E. van Doorslaer, A. Wagstaff and M. Lindelow (2007) Analysing Health Equity using Household Survey Data, Washington DC, World Bank. www.worldbank.org/analyzinghealthequity

 

 

Analyzing Health Equity Using Household Survey Data

by Owen O'Donnell, Eddy van Doorslaer, Adam Wagstaff, and Magnus Lindelow

Health equity has become an increasingly popular research topic during the course of the past 25 years. Many factors explain this trend, including a growing demand from policymakers, better and more plentiful household data, and increased computer power. But progress in quantifying and understanding health equities would not have been possible without appropriate analytic techniques. These techniques are the subject of this book.

 

Analyzing Health Equity Using Household Survey Data - COVER

The book includes chapters dealing with data issues and the measurement of the key variables in health equity analysis

(Part i),quantitative techniques for interpreting and presenting health equity data

(Part ii), and the application of these techniques in the analysis of equity in health care utilization and health care spending

 (Part iii). The aim of the book is to provide researchers and analysts with a step-by-step practical guide to the measurement of a variety of aspects of health equity, with worked examples and computer code, mostly for the computer program Stata.

It is hoped that these step-by-step guides, and the easy-to-implement computer routines contained in them, will help stimulate yet more research in the field, especially policy-oriented health equity research that enables researchers to help policymakers develop and evaluate programs to reduce health inequities.

Download:   Complete Book  (PDF 6.42MB)

Table of Contents (PDF 58kb)

Ch. 1:  Introduction (PDF 119kb)

Ch. 2:  Data for Health Equity Analysis: Requirements, Sources and Sample Designs (PDF 159kb)

Ch. 3:  Health Outcome #1: Child Survival (PDF 107kb)

Ch. 4:  Health Outcome #2: Anthropometrics (PDF 1.05MB)

Ch. 5:  Health Outcome #3: Adult Health (PDF 156kb)

Ch. 6:  Measurement of Living Standards (PDF 188kb)

Ch. 7:  Concentration Curves (PDF 134kb)

Ch. 8:  The Concentration Index (PDF 176kb)

Ch. 9:  Extensions to the Concentration Index: Inequality Aversion and the Health Achievement Index (PDF 132kb)

Ch. 10:  Multivariate Analysis of Health Survey Data (PDF 188kb)

Ch. 11:  Nonlinear Models for Health and Medical Expenditure Data (PDF 194kb)

Ch. 12:  Explaining Differences Between Groups: Oaxaca Decomposition (PDF 166kb)

Ch. 13:  Explaining Socioeconomic-Related Health Inequality: Decomposition of the Concentration Index (PDF 95.5kb)

Ch. 14:  Who Benefits from Health Sector Subsidies? Benefit Incidence Analysis  (PDF 177kb)

Ch. 15:  Measuring and Explaining Inequity in Health Service Delivery (PDF 123kb)

Ch. 16:  Who Pays for Health Care? Progressivity of Health Finance  (PDF 154kb)

Ch. 17:  Redistributive Effect of Health Finance (PDF 78.9kb)

Ch. 18:  Catastrophic Payments for Health Care (PDF 134kb)

Ch. 19:  Health Care Payments and Poverty (PDF 107kb)

Stata programs and Excel files to accompany Analyzing Health Equity Using Household Survey Data:

 

 

 

Contact Information:
Dr. Gilles de Weck - Network Health Economics

HEC – Dorigny CH-1015 Lausanne Tel.: +4121 692 33 92  gdeweck@unil.ch

 

 

 *      *      *     * 

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/ KMS 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”.

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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] Neighbourhood identity -People, time and place

Neighbourhood identity -People, time and place

 

Douglas Robertson, James Smyth and Ian McIntosh

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation - 2008

 

Website: http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=672908

 

PDF file [134p.] at; http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2154-neighbourhood-identity-regeneration.pdf

 

“……….This study looks at the ways in which neighbourhood identity is formed and considers any implications  this may have for policies that seek to improve and enhance neighbourhoods.

 

Through an examination of three neighbourhoods in Stirling, Scotland, the study explores what it means to people to ‘come from’ each of these areas as a way

of understanding issues of belonging and attachment to particular places. The areas – Raploch, Riverside and Randolph Road – were chosen due to their differing socio-economic profiles and contrasting identities.

 

The authors consider why regeneration policies often fail in their objectives and why the reputations of housing estates often display a remarkable longevity and

resilience to change. They focus on how such reputations are established and understood by those in and outside particular areas and what implications this has for the identities of neighbourhoods and the people who live in them….”

 

Executive summary

1 Identities, neighbourhood and community

2 Development of the three neighbourhood identities in Stirling

3 Space, belonging and identities

Identity, culture and social positioning

Culture of knowing ‘whaur you are fae’

Community: differing understandings and experiences

Social networks

Fragility of community

Social memory: telling tales of place

Edges, boundaries and differentiated community

Summary

4 Gender, class and religion

Women, family and children

Men and employment

Social class and social stigma

Religious identities

Summary

5 Conclusions

Policy considerations

Notes

Bibliography

Appendix 1: Neighbourhood identity family histories

Appendix 2: Data zone selection and qualification

 

 

 *      *      *     * 

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/ K
sM 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] Tackling health inequalities: 2007 Status Report

Tackling health inequalities: 2007 Status Report on the Programme for Action

 

Available online PDF [111p.] at:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/DH_083471?IdcService=GET_FILE&dID=137120&Rendition=Web

 

Website: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/DH_083471

 

“……If evidence-based policy making were to be honoured in the observance rather than the breech what might it look like? A simple description might be: review the evidence and make recommendations; use these recommendations as a base to formulate policies; monitor their effects.

By this description, action on inequalities in health in England conforms rather well to evidence-based policy making. The Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health (the Acheson Inquiry) reviewed the scientific evidence on health inequalities.

 

It made 39 recommendations. Importantly, Acheson took a social model of health. Thirty-six of it’s (our) recommendations ranged across the whole spectrum of

government policy that influences health inequalities. Only three were specifically aimed at the health service. It was then appropriate that a cross-cutting review on health inequalities was conducted by the Treasury with the participation of 18 government departments and agencies.

 

The result was a national Programme for Action. Government Departments entered into 82 commitments aimed at tackling health inequalities. Targets on reduction of health inequalities, for infant mortality and life expectancy were set. A key part of the Programme for Action was to monitor health inequalities and a few key determinants and components. The overseeing of this monitoring task was assumed by the Scientific Reference Group on Health Inequalities.

In our first Status Report, 2005, we suggested that time was too short to see any effect of policy changes. Now, two years later, that is still a major issue. It is simply too early to say if too little has been done or the right actions were not taken.

 

Whatever actions were taken between 2003 and 2006 there would be little short-term impact on health inequalities. Nevertheless it is important to keep close watch on what has been happening both to important policy areas such as housing, child poverty and education, as well as to health inequalities. ….”  Preface by Professor Sir Michael Marmot

 

Content:

Foreword by Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister for Public Health

Preface by Professor Sir Michael Marmot

Executive summary

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Some issues in tackling health inequalities

Chapter 3: Developments against the targets

Chapter 4: Lessons for delivery

Chapter 5: Conclusion

Glossary

Annex 1: The scientific reference group on health inequalities

Annex 2: List of spearhead areas

Annex 3: Spearhead Group Local Authority Performance Against Contribution to National Life Expectancy Target for Males and Females,

2004–06/2003–05/2002–04 (three-year rolling average)

Annex 4: Absolute and relative inequalities

Annex 5: Changes in definitions of social class

 

Press release:  http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=360272&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=False

 

Word file: http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/mediaDetail.asp?MediaDetailsID=236697&NewsAreaID=2&ClientID=46&LocaleID=2

 

Health inequality gap 'widening' http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7293846.stm

 

 

 

 

 *      *      *     * 

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] WHO Report 2008 - Global tuberculosis control - surveillance, planning, financing

WHO Report 2008 - Global tuberculosis control - surveillance, planning, financing

World Health Organization Report 2008
WHO/HTM/TB/2008.393

Website: http://www.who.int/tb/publications/global_report/2008/summary/en/index.html

“….WHO's report on Global TB Control compiles data from over 200 countries and territories each year, monitoring the scale and direction of TB epidemics, implementation and impact of the Stop TB Strategy, and progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of illness and death worldwide, especially in Asia and Africa. Globally, 9.2 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths from TB occurred in 2006, of which 0.7 million cases and 0.2 million deaths were in HIV-positive people. Population growth has boosted these numbers compared with those reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) for previous years.

More positively, and reinforcing a finding first reported in 2007, the number of new cases per capita appears to have been falling globally since 2003, and in all six WHO regions except the European Region where rates are approximately stable. If this trend is sustained, Millennium Development Goal 6, to have halted and begun to reverse the incidence of TB, will be achieved well before the target date of 2015. Four regions are also on track to halve prevalence and death rates by 2015 compared with 1990 levels, in line with targets set by the Stop TB Partnership. Africa and Europe are not on track to reach these targets, following large increases in the incidence of TB during the 1990s. At current rates of progress these regions will prevent the targets being achieved globally….”

The report

:: Summary
:: Key findings
:: Introduction
:: Chapter 1 The global TB epidemic and progress in control
:: Chapter 2 Implementing the Stop TB Strategy
:: Chapter 3 Financing TB control
:: Conclusions
:: Annex 1 - Profiles of high-burden countries
:: Annex 2 - Methods
:: Annex 3 - The Stop TB Strategy, case reports, treatment outcomes and estimates of TB burden

The key findings also available in different languages

:: Arabic
:: Chinese
:: French
:: Russian
:: Spanish

 

 

 

 

 *      *      *     * 

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/ KMS 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.