Health Equity: July 2011

Friday, July 29, 2011

[EQ] Summer Course in Comparative Health - The reforms of the health care systems in a globalized world

European School of Genetic Medicine

International Summer Course in Comparative Health
The reforms of the health care systems in a globalized world

29th August - 2nd September 2011

Euro Mediterranean University Centre of Ronzano

Bologna – Italy

The summer course will be supervised by: John Tooker - Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, American College of Physicians (ACP) and
Guido Giarelli – Past President of the European Society for Health and Medical Sociology (ESHMS)

Invited Speakers: Robert Blank (New College of Florida, U.S.), Stefano Nava (Sant` Orsola Malpighi, Italy), Antonio Maturo (Univ. of Bologna, Italy - Brown University (U.S.), Zofia Slonska (National Institute of Cardiology, Poland), Giovanni Romeo (University of Bologna, Italy), Adriano Cattaneo (IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Italy), Mauro Serapioni (Center for Social Studies - Univ. of Coimbra, Portugal), Erio Ziglio (European Office for Investment for Health and Development - World Health Organization).

This first edition will provide an overall view of the reforms which are taking place in different health care systems in both developed and developing countries with a global perspective and an interdisciplinary array of methodological approaches. The most recent accomplishments in Medical Sociology, Health Economy, Political Science, Public Health related to the course topics will be discussed and the course will provide a chance to use a range of techniques and research tools and will allow opportunities to establish research networks.

The topics covered will include:

- comparative typologies of health systems to the problem of rationing of hospital resources,

- - the Obama’s reform to Cameron’s Big Society,

- the changing role of the physician to the impact of genomic medicine,

- the re-centralization and market reforms in Scandinavian health care systems,

- the insurance reforms in Bismarckian welfare systems,

- the Mediterranean paradigm to the reforms in post-socialist Central-Eastern Europe,

the evolution of global health policies and the health reforms of emerging countries such as Brazil.

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[EQ] Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion - 25th anniversary commemoration

Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion - 25th anniversary commemoration

Public Health Forum: http://bit.ly/nCyVGv

WHO\Europe July 2011

With the birth of the Ottawa Charter 25 years ago, a milestone was reached in the history of public health which provided a breakthrough for the way we deal with health issues today.

The upcoming Regional Committee in Baku will commemorate the 25th birthday of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion.
In connection with this, WHO EURO is collecting documentation, photos, and memories of the event itself as well as its impact further on.

This Public Health forum is set up for you to share any materials you may have (list of participants, photos, papers, etc.).

Policy documents : First International Conference on Health Promotion, Ottawa, Canada, 17–21 November 1986

Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, 1986

Available in:

Deutsch (PDF), 43.9 KB

English (PDF), 38.9 KB

Français (PDF), 39.7 KB

Pусский (PDF), 141.2 KB

First International Conference on Health Promotion, Ottawa, Canada, 17–21 November 1986

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"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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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

[EQ] The wider determinants of inequalities in health: A decomposition analysis

The wider determinants of inequalities in health: A decomposition analysis

Leonie Sundmacher, David Scheller-Kreinsen and Reinhard Busse

Department of Health Care Management, Berlin University of Technology, Berlin

International Journal for Equity in Health - 26 July 2011 doi:10.1186/1475-9276-10-30

Available online PDF [35p.] at: http://bit.ly/oopiHT

Background: The common starting point of many studies scrutinizing the factors underlying health inequalities is that material, cultural-behavioural, and psycho-social factors affect the distribution of health systematically through income, education, occupation, wealth or similar indicators of socioeconomic structure. However, little is known regarding if and to what extent these factors can assert systematic influence on the distribution of health of a population independent of the effects channelled through income, education, or wealth.

Methods: Using representative data from the German Socioeconomic Panel, we apply Fields’ regression based decomposition techniques to decompose variations in health into its sources. Controlling for income, education, occupation, and wealth, we assess the relative importance of the explanatory factors over and above their effect on the variation in health channelled through the commonly applied measures of socioeconomic status.

Results: The analysis suggests that three main factors persistently contribute to variance in health:
- the capability score,
- cultural-behavioural variables and to a lower extent,
- the materialist approach.

Of the three, the capability score illustrates the explanatory power of interaction and compound effects as it captures the individual’s socioeconomic, social, and psychological resources in relation to his/her exposure to life challenges.

Conclusion: Models that take a reductionist perspective and do not allow for the possibility that health inequalities are generated by factors over and above their effect on the variation in health channelled through one of the socioeconomic measures are underspecified and may fail to capture the determinants of health inequalities.

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[EQ] Global Public-Private Health Partnerships: lessons learned from ten years of experience and evaluation

Global Public-Private Health Partnerships:
lessons learned from ten years of experience and evaluation

Kent Buse and Sonja Tanaka

UNAIDS, Geneva
International Dental Journal 2011; 61 (Suppl. 2): 2–10 doi: 10.1111/j.1875-595X.2011.00034.x

Available online PDF [9p.] at: http://bit.ly/nX7tmk

“…….Global Health Partnerships (GHPs) have contributed significantly to improved global health outcomes as well as the manner in which global health is governed. Yet in a context of an increasingly complex global health landscape, resource scarcity and a shift from disease-specific to systems strengthening approaches, it is important to continually enhance and apply our understanding of how to improve GHP performance.

The authors reviewed and synthesised findings from eight independent evaluations of Global Health Partnerships GHPs as well as research projects conducted by the authors over the past several years, the most recent of which involved semi-structured discussions with 20 ‘partnership pioneers’.

This paper presents the major drivers of the Global Health Partnerships GHP trend, briefly reviews the significant contributions of GHPs to global health and sets out common findings from evaluations of these global health governance instruments.

The paper answers the question of how to improve GHP performance with reference to a series of lessons emerging from the past ten years of experience.
These lessons cover the following areas:

• Value-added and niche orientation

• Adequate resourcing of secretariats

• Management practices

• Governance practices

• Ensuring divergent interests are met

• Systems strengthening

• Continuous self-improvement.

These and other critical reflections inform the ‘what’s next’ agenda for Global Health Partnerships development….”

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

[EQ] Toward a Healthy and Harmonious Life in China: Stemming the Rising Tide of Non-Communicable Diseases

Toward a Healthy and Harmonious Life in China:
Stemming the Rising Tide of Non-Communicable Diseases

Report launched in Beijing on July 26, 2011

This Report was prepared over December 2010–April 2011 by a World Bank team comprising:

Shiyong Wang (East Asia and Pacific Region, EASHD)

Patricio Marquez (Europe and Central Asia Region, ECSHD)

John Langenbrunner (EASHD)

Available online PDF [48p.] at: http://bit.ly/qEk8Fu

“…..The report discusses why priority attention to NCDs is now required in China, articulates what would constitute an effective NCD response, and proposes how to operationalize the response over the medium and longer terms.

The report provides compelling evidence on the economic and social consequences of this epidemic and suggests a range of policies and strategies to confront and prevent them.

As such, it aims to be a useful input for policy discussions and programmatic decisions to address this development threat in the fastest growing economy in the world. An effective response by China to address the NCD challenge in the years to come could be a powerful example that would significantly influence other countries. ….. “[Patricio Marquez]

“…….NCDs1 are China’s number one health threat. They account for over 80 percent of its 10.3 million annual deaths (10) and Figure 1 shows that they contribute to 68.6 percent of the total disease burden (11). The main NCDs in China are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPDs), and lung cancer. These conditions account for a significant share of the total NCD burden in China and share common, amendable behavioral and biological risk factors.

The report also advocates implementing “Health in All” policies and actions for a multisectoral response to NCDs in China to help achieve the ultimate goal of “harmonious” development and growth…………”

Contents

Foreword

1 Introduction

2 Why This Report?

3 China’s Rising NCD Epidemic: 2010–2030

3.1 Explosive Increase in the Number of People with at Least One NCD

3.2 Morbidity Makes Up the Bulk of the Burden Attributable to NCDs and about 50 Percent of That Burden Occurs in People under 65

3.3 NCD Mortality Is Higher in China Than in Other Leading G-20 Countries

4 Socioeconomic Determinants and Health Risk Factors for NCDs and Consequences In China

4.1 Growing Urbanization and Changes in Behavioral and Biological Factors

4.2 Over 50 Percent of the Increased NCD Burden Is Preventable by Modifying Behavioral Risks

4.3 Rapid Population Aging May Increase China’s NCD Burden by at Least 40 Percent by 2030 If the NCD Epidemic Is Not Controlled

4.4 NCDs Contribute to Inequalities in Health

4.5 Economic Impact of the NCD Burden

5 Role for Government on NCDs Prevention and Control

5.1 Economic Rationale Justifying Government Actions on NCDs

5.2 Confronting NCDs Effectively: A Litmus Test of China’s Health Sector Reform

6 Launching a Multisectoral Strategy for NCD Prevention and Control

6.1 Suggestions for Comprehensive and Effective NCD Strategies in China

6.2 What Actions to Take? From Governmental Policy to Program Implementation

6.3 Addressing Information Gaps

7 The Way Forward

References

Map IBRD

Beijing - July 26, 2011 English version:

Key message:
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/2011/07/26/toward-health-harmonious-life-china-stemming-rising-tide-of-non-communicable-diseases

Press release:
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/2011/07/26/growing-epidemic-of-heart-attacks-strokes-cancer-diabetes-threatens-china-economic-and-social-well-being

op-ed:
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/2011/07/26/rising-ailments-growing-threat

video:
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/2011/07/26/interview-with-shiyong-wang-and-patricio-marquez

Beijing - July 26, 2011 Chinese version:

Key message:
http://www.shihang.org/zh/news/2011/07/26/toward-health-harmonious-life-china-stemming-rising-tide-of-non-communicable-diseases

Press release:
http://www.shihang.org/zh/news/2011/07/26/growing-epidemic-of-heart-attacks-strokes-cancer-diabetes-threatens-china-economic-and-social-well-being

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[EQ] Evidence Links Increases In Public Health Spending To Declines In Preventable Deaths

Evidence Links Increases In Public Health Spending To Declines In Preventable Deaths

Glen P. Mays, professor in and the chairman of the Department of Health Policy and Management at
the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, in Little Rock.

Sharla A. Smith, research associate in the Department of Health Policy and Management, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Health Affairs - July 2011 10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0196

Available online at: http://bit.ly/p61EgM

“…..Public health encompasses a broad array of programs designed to prevent the occurrence of disease and injury within communities. But policy makers have little evidence to draw on when determining the value of investments in these program activities, which currently account for less than 5 percent of US health spending. We examine whether changes in spending by local public health agencies over a thirteen-year period contributed to changes in rates of community mortality from preventable causes of death, including infant mortality and deaths due to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

We found that mortality rates fell between 1.1 percent and 6.9 percent for each 10 percent increase in local public health spending. These results suggest that increased public health investments can produce measurable improvements in health, especially in low-resource communities. However, more money by itself is unlikely to generate significant and sustainable health gains; improvements in public health practices are needed as well….”

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[EQ] A Pocket Guide to Sustainable Development Governance

A Pocket Guide to Sustainable Development Governance

Stakeholder Forum - Earth Summit 2012 and the Commonwealth Secretariat – March 2011

Available online PDF [137p.] at: http://bit.ly/oKF5FU

“…..This guide has been initiated by Stakeholder Forum and the Commonwealth Secretariat in response to the perceived ‘knowledge gap’ on the history and dynamics of global governance for sustainable development.

As the ‘institutional framework for sustainable development’ has been Development (UNCSD 2012), it is hoped that this guide will provide the necessary background information on global sustainable development governance to allow both governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to familiarize themselves with the key issues more comprehensively.

The topic of ‘sustainable development governance’ is potentially vast, as governance touches almost all decisions and policy considerations at all levels.

To make this guide manageable and accessible, we have tried to contain the number of issues addressed, and have divided the guide into four distinct sections

• Concepts

• Global Institutions

• Reform Proposals for Sustainable Development Governance

• Processes for Sustainable Development Governance

The Dawn of Sustainable Development

Since the UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972, the reach of sustainable development governance has expanded considerably at local, national, regional and international levels. The Stockholm Conference led to the establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), as well as the creation of a plethora of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs).

A further and significant milestone in the conceptualisation of sustainable development was the 1987 Brundtland Report (Our Common Future) which was published by Gro Harlem Brundtland, the then Prime Minister of Norway.

This gave the most definitive and well used explanation of sustainable development, as:

“..development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” 2

Edited by Hannah Stoddart

Contributing Authors: Kirsty Schneeberger, Felix Dodds, Andrew Shaw, Milena Bottero, Jack Cornforth, Robert White

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