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Ofori Boateng M, Asuman D, Kugbey N, Amoah PA, Agyei-Baffour P, Enemark U. Health literacy and household financial loss on malaria treatment for children under five in Ghana: a patients' perspective. Int Health 2024:ihae022. [PMID: 38563469 DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihae022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inadequate health literacy increases medical costs and leads to poor health outcomes. However, there is a paucity of empirical evidence of such associations in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates how the household cost of malaria in children under five in Ghana varies based on different levels of health literacy. METHODS A cross-sectional survey involving 1270 caregivers of children under five was conducted. The survey included health literacy questionnaire and several pieces of sociodemographic and behavioural variables. RESULTS We created seven caregiver health literacy profiles by scoring nine dimensions. The mean total cost for managing malaria among respondents was US$20.29 per episode. The total household cost for caregivers with high health literacy (Profile 1) (US$24.77) was higher than all other profiles, with the lowest cost (US$17.93) among the low health literacy profile (Profile 6). Compared with Profile 4, caregivers with high health literacy (Profile 1) spent more on managing malaria in children, while those with the lowest health literacy (Profile 7) spent less. CONCLUSION The current study presents a snapshot of malaria treatment costs, and argues that low health literacy may lead to increased costs due to possible reinfections from delayed healthcare use. There is a need for longitudinal studies to understand causal relationship between health literacy and household expenses on malaria treatment to inform policy development and interventions. LAY SUMMARY This study explores the impact of caregiver health literacy levels on the cost of managing malaria incidents in children under five in Ghana. High health-literate caregivers incurred the highest total household cost at US$24.77, with US$17.93 incurred by lower health-literate caregivers per malaria episode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Millicent Ofori Boateng
- Faculty of Health, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Bartholins Alle 2, Building 1260, DK 8000 Aarhus C, Aarhus, Denmark
- School of Public Health, Department of Community Health, Ensign Global College, P.O. Box AK 136, Akosombo, Eastern Region, Ghana
| | - Derek Asuman
- Health Economics Unit, Lund University, Medicon Village 301:5, Scheelevagen 2, 223 81, Box 117, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Nuworza Kugbey
- School of Public Health, Department of Community Health, Ensign Global College, P.O. Box AK 136, Akosombo, Eastern Region, Ghana
- Department of General Studies, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, PMB, Somanya, Ghana
| | - Padmore Adusei Amoah
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Policy Studies, School of Graduate Studies, Lingnan University, 8 Castle Peak Road, Lingnan, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong
| | - Peter Agyei-Baffour
- Department of Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Private Mail Bage, University Post Office, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Ulrika Enemark
- Faculty of Health, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Bartholins Alle 2, Building 1260, DK 8000 Aarhus C, Aarhus, Denmark
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Elayan S, Angelini V, Buskens E, de Boer A. The Economic Costs of Informal Care: Estimates from a National Cross-Sectional Survey in The Netherlands. THE EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH ECONOMICS : HEPAC : HEALTH ECONOMICS IN PREVENTION AND CARE 2024:10.1007/s10198-023-01666-8. [PMID: 38294595 DOI: 10.1007/s10198-023-01666-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Faced with an unprecedented demand for long-term care, European health care systems are moving towards mixed care models, where the welfare state and informal caregivers share care responsibilities. While informal care is often viewed as a means of alleviating pressure on public care, it comes with significant economic costs for caregivers, their employers, and society at large. This study uses nationally representative data to estimate the total direct (informal care time and out-of-pocket costs) and indirect (productivity) economic costs of informal care in the Netherlands in 2019. Informal care time costs are estimated using the opportunity cost and the proxy good methods. Indirect costs are estimated using the human capital and friction cost approaches. Our results reveal the considerable annual societal cost of informal care in the Netherlands, ranging between €17.5 billion and €30.1 billion, depending on the valuation approach. These costs are equivalent to 2.15% and 3.71% of Dutch GDP in 2019, comparable to the public expenditure on long-term care in that year. Female caregivers account for slightly more than half (53%-57%) of the total costs. Around 57%-88% of these costs are in the form of informal care time. The main driver of indirect costs is the temporary cessation of work, which comprises 12%-17% of the total costs. Findings corroborate that substantial resources, yet thus far largely disregarded, are spent on informal care even in a country with a relatively generous public long-term care system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saif Elayan
- Department of Economics, Econometrics and Finance, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, Nettelbosje 2, 9747 AE, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Viola Angelini
- Department of Economics, Econometrics and Finance, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, Nettelbosje 2, 9747 AE, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Erik Buskens
- Department of Epidemiology, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Alice de Boer
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP), 2500 BD, The Hague, The Netherlands
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Guertin JR, Gilbert-Ouimet M, Dugas M, Carnovale V, Jalbert L, Svyntozelska O, Demers J, Matteau L, Bergeron F, LeBlanc A. Methods used to account for caregivers' sex and gender within studies examining the financial burden of caregivers of children and adolescents : Results from a scoping review. CLINICOECONOMICS AND OUTCOMES RESEARCH 2024; 16:35-53. [PMID: 38298908 PMCID: PMC10829241 DOI: 10.2147/ceor.s443077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Interest in the financial burden of informal caregivers has been growing. Unfortunately, it remains unclear which method(s) should be used when quantifying this burden. Purpose We conducted a scoping review aimed at identifying which methods have been used to conduct such work and quantified their performance. We were also interested in examining how sex and gender considerations were considered within selected studies. Data Sources Using a standardized approach, we identified studies published between 2012 and 2022 that aimed to document the financial burden of caregivers to child and adolescent patients. Our search strategy was applied to the MEDLINE, Embase, CINHAL, and Academic Search Premier databases. Study Selection Manuscript selection was performed by pairs of reviewers. Data Extraction Data extraction was performed by one reviewer with a second reviewer performing quality control. Results were reported using a narrative approach. Data Synthesis We identified 9801 unique citations, of which 200 were included in our review. Selected studies covered various disease area (eg, infection/parasitic diseases [n = 31, 16%]) and included quantitative (n = 180, 90%), qualitative (n = 4, 2%) and mixed study designs (n = 16, 8%). Most studies (n = 182, 91%) used questionnaires/surveys, either alone or in combination with other methods, to assess caregivers' financial burden. Less than half (n = 93, 47%) of studies reported on caregivers' sex and none reported on their gender. Conclusion We conducted an unrestricted review of published studies examining caregiver's financial burden which allowed us to identify general methodological trends observed in this literature. We believe this work may help improve future studies focusing on this important issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Robert Guertin
- Centre de recherche du Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- Centre de recherche en organogénèse expérimentale de l’Université Laval/LOEX, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mahée Gilbert-Ouimet
- Centre de recherche du Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Health Sciences, Université du Québec À Rimouski, Levis, Quebec, Canada
| | - Michèle Dugas
- VITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, Quebec Integrated University Health and Social Services Center, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Valérie Carnovale
- VITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, Quebec Integrated University Health and Social Services Center, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Laura Jalbert
- VITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, Quebec Integrated University Health and Social Services Center, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Olha Svyntozelska
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- VITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, Quebec Integrated University Health and Social Services Center, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Juliette Demers
- VITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, Quebec Integrated University Health and Social Services Center, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Léonie Matteau
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Health Sciences, Université du Québec À Rimouski, Levis, Quebec, Canada
| | - Frédéric Bergeron
- Bibliothèque-Direction des services-conseils, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Annie LeBlanc
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- VITAM Research Center on Sustainable Health, Quebec Integrated University Health and Social Services Center, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
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Mendoza-Jiménez MJ, van Exel J, Brouwer W. On spillovers in economic evaluations: definition, mapping review and research agenda. THE EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH ECONOMICS : HEPAC : HEALTH ECONOMICS IN PREVENTION AND CARE 2024:10.1007/s10198-023-01658-8. [PMID: 38261132 DOI: 10.1007/s10198-023-01658-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
An important issue in economic evaluations is determining whether all relevant impacts are considered, given the perspective chosen for the analysis. Acknowledging that patients are not isolated individuals has important implications in this context. Increasingly, the term "spillovers" is used to label consequences of health interventions on others. However, a clear definition of spillovers is lacking, and as a result, the scope of the concept remains unclear. In this study, we aim to clarify the concept of spillovers by proposing a definition applicable in health economic evaluations. To illustrate the implications of this definition, we highlight the diversity of potential spillovers through an expanded impact inventory and conduct a mapping review that outlines the evidence base for the different types of spillovers. In the context of economic evaluations of health interventions, we define spillovers as all impacts from an intervention on all parties or entities other than the users of the intervention under evaluation. This definition encompasses a broader range of potential costs and effects, beyond informal caregivers and family members. The expanded impact inventory enables a systematic approach to identifying broader impacts of health interventions. The mapping review shows that the relevance of different types of spillovers is context-specific. Some spillovers are regularly included in economic evaluations, although not always recognised as such, while others are not. A consistent use of the term "spillovers", improved measurement of these costs and effects, and increased transparency in reporting them are still necessary. To that end, we propose a research agenda.
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Affiliation(s)
- María J Mendoza-Jiménez
- Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
- Erasmus Centre for Health Economics Rotterdam (EsCHER), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
- Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanísticas, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Guayaquil, Ecuador.
| | - Job van Exel
- Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Erasmus Centre for Health Economics Rotterdam (EsCHER), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Werner Brouwer
- Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Erasmus Centre for Health Economics Rotterdam (EsCHER), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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