Inequalities in health and health risk factors in the Southern African Development Community: evidence from World Health Surveys

Using economic analysis to inform health resource allocation: lessons from Malawi

Despite making remarkable strides in improving health outcomes, Malawi faces concerns about sustaining the progress achieved due to limited fiscal space and donor dependency. The imperative for efficient health spending becomes evident, necessitating strategic allocation of resources to areas with the greatest impact on mortality and morbidity. Health benefits packages hold promise in supporting efficient resource allocation. However, despite defining these packages over the last two decades, their development and implementation have posed significant challenges for Malawi. In response, the Malawian government, in collaboration with the Thanzi la Onse Programme, has developed a set of tools and frameworks, primarily based on cost-effectiveness analysis, to guide the design of health benefits packages likely to achieve national health objectives. This review provides an overview of these tools and frameworks, accompanied by other related analyses, aiming to better align health financing with health benefits package prioritization. The paper is organized around five key policy questions facing decision-makers: (i) What interventions should the health system deliver? (ii) How should resources be allocated geographically? (iii) How should investments in health system inputs be prioritized? (iv) How should equity considerations be incorporated into resource allocation decisions? and (v) How should evidence generation be prioritized to support resource allocation decisions (guiding research)? The tools and frameworks presented here are intended to be compatible for use in diverse and often complex healthcare systems across Africa, supporting the health resource allocation process as countries pursue Universal Health Coverage.

Social determinants of health in non-communicable diseases prevention policies in South Africa

BACKGROUND

 The South African government has developed many policies for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. However, non-communicable diseases remain among the major causes of morbidity and mortality in South Africa. Although these diseases are linked to interaction of multiple risk factors, many of which are modifiable, they continue to cause much suffering particularly among the marginalised and people from the lower socio-economic status.

OBJECTIVES

 The objective of this research was to explore and present the inclusion of social determinants of health in the policies meant for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in South Africa.

METHOD

 The qualitative document analysis approach was used to conduct policy analysis of purposefully selected policies for prevention and control of cancers, obesity and mental and behavioural disorders in South Africa.

RESULTS

 The analysis revealed that policies for prevention and control of cancers, obesity and mental and behavioural disorders included policy intervention activities that focused on five social determinants of health: (1) governance, (2) social policies, (3) public policies, (4) material circumstances and (5) health system.

CONCLUSION

 Excluding most of the important social determinants of health in the policies for prevention and control of non-communicable diseases means that these policies would continue to fail in preventing these diseases from the root causes.Contribution: This article points out weaknesses in the policies meant for prevention and control of obesity, cancers and mental and behavioural disorders. This article further suggests policy improvement strategies that may be considered to effectively address these diseases.

Sex-Related Mortality After Burns: A Scoping Review in the Sadc-Region

Findings on mortality by sex after burns in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are contradictory and, where differences have been described, the reasons are often based on speculation and not on the analysis of factors that could have affected the outcome, such as patient or injury characteristics or provided care. Since the paucity of studies on burns from single LMICs is notorious, merging data from neighboring countries with similar socio-economic backgrounds might provide a larger dataset, contributing to identifying recurrent causes. This scoping review aimed therefore to analyze differences in mortality after burns between the sexes, as well as to identify aspects that could explain possible differences, in countries belonging to the South African Development Community (SADC) region. Studies in English published between 2010 and 2020 were identified according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines by searching PubMed and/or Medline, Clinical Trials and Cochrane Library, and using the screening tool "Covidence". The 13 included studies could not consistently show association between sex and mortality after burns, but contradictory findings. In the case of differences in outcome between the sexes, explanations were mainly based on speculation (e.g., hormonal differences, self-harm intention), while rarely burn specific factors were reported and included in the analysis of the mortality risk. This study indicates the need for prospective burn specific data collection in LMICs that would contribute to identifying factors associated with death.

COVID-19 mortality and deprivation: pandemic, syndemic, and endemic health inequalities

COVID-19 has exacerbated endemic health inequalities resulting in a syndemic pandemic of higher mortality and morbidity rates among the most socially disadvantaged. We did a scoping review to identify and synthesise published evidence on geographical inequalities in COVID-19 mortality rates globally. We included peer-reviewed studies, from any country, written in English that showed any area-level (eg, neighbourhood, town, city, municipality, or region) inequalities in mortality by socioeconomic deprivation (ie, measured via indices of multiple deprivation: the percentage of people living in poverty or proxy factors including the Gini coefficient, employment rates, or housing tenure). 95 papers from five WHO global regions were included in the final synthesis. A large majority of the studies (n=86) found that COVID-19 mortality rates were higher in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage than in affluent areas. The subsequent discussion reflects on how the unequal nature of the pandemic has resulted from a syndemic of COVID-19 and endemic inequalities in chronic disease burden.

Changes in prevalence and in educational inequalities in Brazilian health behaviors between 2013 and 2019

Considering the relevance of health behaviors for chronic diseases prevalence and mortality and the increase in income concentration observed in the world and in Brazil, this study aimed to evaluate the changes in the prevalence and in the educational inequalities of Brazilian adult health behaviors between 2013 and 2019. We analyzed data of 49,025 and 65,803 adults (18-59 years of age) from the Brazilian National Health Survey (PNS), 2013 and 2019. Prevalence of health behaviors (smoking, alcohol intake, diet, physical activity and sedentarism) were estimated for three educational strata, for both surveys. Prevalence ratios (PR) between year of survey and between educational strata were estimated by Poisson regression models. Significant reductions were found in the prevalence of smoking, physical inactivity, sedentarism, insufficient consumption of fruits, and the excessive consumption of sweetened beverages. However, an increase was observed in alcohol consumption and binge drinking; vegetable consumption remained stable. Contrasting the favorable change in some behaviors, inequalities among schooling strata remained very high in 2019, specially for smoking (PR = 2.82; 95%CI: 2.49-3.20), passive smoking (PR = 2.88; 95%CI: 2.56-3.23) and physical inactivity (PR = 2.02; 95%CI: 1.92-2.13). There was a significant increase in the educational inequality regarding physical inactivity (21%), insufficient intake of fruit (8%) and in the frequent consumption of sweetened beverages (32%). The persistence and enlargement of inequalities highlight the behaviors and social segments that should be special targets for policies and programs focused in promoting healthy lifestyles.

Decomposing socio-economic inequalities in antenatal care utilisation in 12 Southern African Development Community countries

Although many countries are making progress towards achieving the global sustainable development goals, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) lags behind. SSA bears a relatively higher burden of maternal morbidity and mortality than other regions despite existing cost-effective interventions. This paper assesses antenatal care (ANC) service utilisation among women in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, one of the four SSA regions. Specifically, it assesses socioeconomic inequality in the number of ANC visits, use of no ANC service, between one and three ANC visits and at least four ANC visits, previously recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Data come from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys in twelve SADC countries. Wagstaff's normalised concentration index (CI) was used to assess socioeconomic inequalities. Factors explaining these inequalities were assessed using a standard method and similar variables contained in the DHS data. A positive CI means that the variable of interest is concentrated among wealthier women, while a negative CI signified the opposite. The paper found that wealthier women in the SADC countries are generally more likely to have more ANC visits than their poorer counterparts. Apart from Zambia, the CIs were positive for inequalities in at least 4 ANC visits and negative for between 1 and 3 ANC visits. Women from poorer backgrounds significantly report no ANC visits than wealthier women. Apart from the portion that was not explainable due to limitations in the variables included in the model, critical social determinants of health, including wealth, education and the number of children, explain socioeconomic inequalities in ANC coverage in SADC. A vital policy consideration is not to leave any woman behind. Therefore, addressing access barriers and critical social determinants of ANC inequalities, such as women's education and economic well-being, can potentially redress inequalities in ANC coverage in the SADC region.

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Wealthier women have more antenatal care (ANC) visits than their poorer counterparts.

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Women from poorer backgrounds report no ANC visits more often than wealthier women.

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Wealth and education are key drivers of socioeconomic inequalities in ANC coverage.

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Poorer women are being left behind in accessing maternal health services in Africa.

Inequalities in Access and Utilization of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Services in sub-Saharan Africa: A Special Focus on Urban Settings

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this paper is to share the results of a systematic review on the state of inequalities in access to and utilization of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services in the sub-Saharan African region. The focus of the review was on urban settings where growing needs and challenges have been registered over the past few years due to rapid increase in urban populations and urban slums.

METHODS

The review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies published in English between 2000 and 2019 were included. A narrative synthesis of both qualitative and quantitative data was undertaken. The record for registration in PROSPERO was CRD42019122066.

RESULTS

The review highlights a great variation in MNCH services utilization across urban sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The main aspects of vulnerability to unequal and poor MNCH services utilization in urban settings of the region include poverty, low level of education, unemployment, lower socioeconomic status and poor livelihoods, younger maternal age, low social integration and social support, socio-cultural taboos, residing in slums, and being displaced, refugee, or migrant. At the health system level, persistent inequalities are associated with distance to health facility, availability of quality services and discriminating attitudes from health care personnel.

CONCLUSION

Context-specific intervention programs that aim at resolving the identified barriers to access and use MNCH services, particularly for the most vulnerable segments of urban populations, are essential to improve the overall health of the region and universal health coverage (UHC) targets.

Incorporating health inequality impact into economic evaluation in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

As well as improving population health, promoting equity in health is one of the key goals of health policy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, it is less clear how equity is defined, or how it may impact on resource allocation decisions. We investigated the degree to which health inequalities have been considered in economic evaluation of health interventions in LMICs, and what demographic or socioeconomic characteristics were used to define equity relevant subgroups.

AREAS COVERED

We reviewed publications since 2010 from three main databases following the search strategy developed by including the key terms 'health inequalities/health disparities/health equity,' 'economics' and 'low- and middle-income countries' in the title or abstract. Twelve studies were identified, mainly focusing on interventions for the more vulnerable groups such as children and women.

EXPERT OPINION

Some attempts have been made to assess interventions' impact on health inequality and there is increasing interest in evaluating it, although research in this area is lacking. Population subgroups highlighted in the included studies were those differing in socioeconomic status. Most studies reported the results across subgroups to illustrate inequality impact, and the newly developed methods, extended cost-effectiveness analysis and distributional cost-effectiveness analysis, have also been applied.

Cohort study of ageing from Bagé (SIGa-Bagé), Brazil: profile and methodology

BACKGROUND

The Bagé Cohort Study of Ageing is a population-based cohort study that has recently completed the first follow-up of a representative sample of older adults from Bagé, a city with more than 100,000 inhabitants located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This is one of the first longitudinal studies to assess the impact of primary health care coverage on health conditions and inequalities. Our aim is to investigate the prevalence, incidence and trends of risk factors, health behaviours, social relationships, non-communicable diseases, geriatric diseases and disorders, hospitalisation, self-perceived health, and all-cause and specific-cause mortality. In addition, we aim to evaluate socioeconomic and health inequalities and the impact of primary health care on the outcomes under study.

METHODS/DESIGN

The study covers participants aged 60 or over, selected by probabilistic (representative) sampling of the urban area of the city of Bagé, which is covered by Primary Health Care Services. The baseline examination included 1593 older adults and was conducted from July 2008 to November 2008. After eight to nine years (2016/2017), the first follow-up was conducted from September 2016 to August 2017. All participants underwent an extensive core assessment programme including structured interviews, questionnaires, cognitive testing (baseline and follow-up), physical examinations and anthropometric measurements (follow-up).

RESULTS

Of the original participants, 1395 (87.6%) were located for follow-up: 757 elderly individuals (47.5%) were re-interviewed, but losses in data transfer occurred for 22. The remaining 638 (40.1%) had died. In addition, we had 81 (5.1%) refusals and 117 (7.3%) losses. Among the 1373 older adults who were followed down, there was a higher proportion of female interviewees (p=0.042) and a higher proportion of male deaths (p=0.001) in 2016/2017. There were no differences in losses and refusals according to gender (p=0.102). There was a difference in average age between the interviewees (68.8 years; SD ±6.5) and non-interviewees (73.2 years; SD ±9.0) (p<0.001). Data are available at the Department of Social Medicine in Federal University of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, for any collaboration.

The trends of socioeconomic inequities in full vaccination coverage among children aged 12-23 months from 2000 to 2017: evidence for mitigating disparities in vaccination service in Zhejiang province

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the trends and changes in inequities in the completeness of the primary vaccination (CPV) scheduled before the first year of age among children aged 12-23 months, from 2000 to 2017. Methods: Data were extracted from five rounds of the provincial vaccination coverage survey (PVCS) in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2014 and 2017, respectively. The household income per month was used as an index of socioeconomic status for the inequity analysis. The concentration index (CI) was used to quantify the degree of inequity, and the decomposition approach was applied to quantify the contributions from independent factors to inequity in the CPV. Results: The CPV was significantly improved from 2000 to 2017, with 67.0% for the 2000 PVCS and 86.0% for the 2017 PCVS. The CI value decreased from 0.29839 for the 2000 round to 0.03601 for the 2017 round. The decomposition analysis indicated that independent variables such as birth order, ethnic group, mother's education, maternal employment status, residence, immigration status and the percentage of the total health spending allocated to public health could explain the inequity in the CPV in varying degrees. Conclusions: A sharp reduction in socioeconomic inequity in the CPV was observed from 2000 to 2017. Policy recommendations to reduce the inequality in the CPV should focus on children with the risk factors found in this study, for better outcome in full vaccination and long-lasting herd immunity.

Distributional impact of the Malawian Essential Health Package

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), making the best use of scarce resources is essential to achieving universal health coverage. The design of health benefits packages creates the opportunity to select interventions on the basis of explicit objectives. Distributional cost-effectiveness analysis (DCEA) provides a framework to evaluate interventions based on two objectives: increasing population health and reducing health inequality. We conduct aggregate DCEA of potential health benefits package interventions to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach in LMICs, using the case of the Malawian health benefits package. We use publicly available survey and census data common to LMICs and describe what challenges we encountered and how we addressed them. We estimate that diseases targeted by the health benefits package are most prevalent in the poorest population quintile and least prevalent in the richest quintile. The survey data we use indicate socioeconomic patterns in intervention uptake that diminish the population health gain and inequality reduction from the package. We find that a similar set of interventions would be prioritized when impact on health inequality is incorporated alongside impact on overall population health. However, conclusions about the impact of individual interventions on health inequalities are sensitive to assumptions regarding the health opportunity cost, the utilization of interventions, the distribution of diseases across population groups and the level of aversion to inequality. Our results suggest that efforts to improve access to the Essential Health Package could be targeted to specific interventions to improve the health of the poorest fastest but that identifying these interventions is uncertain. This exploratory work has shown the potential for applying the DCEA framework to inform health benefits package design within the LMIC setting and to provide insight into the equity impact of a health benefits package.

A framework for identifying and mitigating the equity harms of COVID-19 policy interventions

BACKGROUND

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic. Governments have implemented combinations of "lockdown" measures of various stringencies, including school and workplace closures, cancellations of public events, and restrictions on internal and external movements. These policy interventions are an attempt to shield high-risk individuals and to prevent overwhelming countries' healthcare systems, or, colloquially, "flatten the curve." However, these policy interventions may come with physical and psychological health harms, group and social harms, and opportunity costs. These policies may particularly affect vulnerable populations and not only exacerbate pre-existing inequities but also generate new ones.

METHODS

We developed a conceptual framework to identify and categorize adverse effects of COVID-19 lockdown measures. We based our framework on Lorenc and Oliver's framework for the adverse effects of public health interventions and the PROGRESS-Plus equity framework. To test its application, we purposively sampled COVID-19 policy examples from around the world and evaluated them for the potential physical, psychological, and social harms, as well as opportunity costs, in each of the PROGRESS-Plus equity domains: Place of residence, Race/ethnicity, Occupation, Gender/sex, Religion, Education, Socioeconomic status, Social capital, Plus (age, and disability).

RESULTS

We found examples of inequitably distributed adverse effects for each COVID-19 lockdown policy example, stratified by a low- or middle-income country and high-income country, in every PROGRESS-Plus equity domain. We identified the known policy interventions intended to mitigate some of these adverse effects. The same harms (anxiety, depression, food insecurity, loneliness, stigma, violence) appear to be repeated across many groups and are exacerbated by several COVID-19 policy interventions.

CONCLUSION

Our conceptual framework highlights the fact that COVID-19 policy interventions can generate or exacerbate interactive and multiplicative equity harms. Applying this framework can help in three ways: (1) identifying the areas where a policy intervention may generate inequitable adverse effects; (2) mitigating the policy and practice interventions by facilitating the systematic examination of relevant evidence; and (3) planning for lifting COVID-19 lockdowns and policy interventions around the world.

Prevalence and correlates of multiple non-communicable disease risk factors among adults in Zambia: results of the first national STEPS survey in 2017

Introduction

the prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is increasing in African countries. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and correlates of multiple NCD risk factors (NCDRF) among the adult population in Zambia

Methods

nationally representative cross-sectional data from 4,302 individuals aged 18-69 years of the “2017 Zambia STEPS survey” were analysed.

Results

the prevalence of insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption was 90.4%, followed by overweight/obesity (24.4%), low physical activity (19.5%), hypertension (18.9%), daily tobacco use (10.7%), sedentary behaviour (8.9%), suicidal behaviour (8.5%), alcohol dependence (7.4%), raised total cholesterol (7.4%), and diabetes (6.2%). The distribution of NCDRF was 41.5% 0-1 NCDRF, 48.2% 2-3, 10.4% 4-10, and 26.7% 3-10 NCDRF. In adjusted ordinal logistic regression analysis, compared to persons aged 18-34 years, individuals aged 50-69 years were 3.58 times (AOR: 3.58, 95% CI: 3.95-4.49) more likely to have a higher number of NCDRF. Women were 24% (AOR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.03-1.49) more likely than men to have a higher number of NCDRF. Persons living in urban locations were 71% (AOR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.43-2.16) more likely than persons living in rural locations to have a higher number of NCDRF, and compared to individuals with lower than primary education, persons with more than primary education were 20% (AOR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.65-0.98) less likely to have a higher number of NCDRF.

Conclusion

more than one in four study participants had three to ten NCDRF and several associated factors were found that can aid to target interventions.

Social determinants of health: the role of effective communication in the COVID-19 pandemic in developing countries

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected many countries with increasing morbidity and mortality. Interestingly, many of the actions and policies adopted in countries are linked to the social determinants of health (SDH). The SDH are critical determinants of health and health inequalities that are not directly within the health sector. Policies such as social distancing, good hygiene, avoiding large gatherings, cancelling of social and sports events, using personal protective equipment, schools and restaurants closure, country lockdown, etc. are not necessarily within the health sector but have been promoted to prevent and attenuate COVID-19 infection rates significantly. The SDH that serve to reduce morbidity will forestall or substantially reduce the pressure on many weak health systems in developing countries that cannot cope with increased hospitalisation and intensive health care. This paper argues that one of the most critical social determinants of health (i.e. effective crisis and risk communication), is crucial in many developing countries, including those with fewer confirmed coronavirus cases. We note that the effectiveness of many of the other SDH in reducing the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic hinges on effective communication, especially crisis and risk communication. Although many countries are adopting different communication strategies during the COVID-19 crisis, effective crisis and risk communication will lead to building trust, credibility, honesty, transparency, and accountability. The peculiarity of many developing countries in terms of regional, cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity is an essential consideration in ensuring effective crisis and risk communication. Developing countries facing significant poverty and disease burden cannot afford to handle the burgeoning of COVID-19 infections and must take preventive measures seriously. Thus, we submit that there is a need to intensify SDH actions and ensure that no one is left behind when communicating crisis and risk to the population to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inequalities in Rotavirus Vaccine Uptake in Ethiopia: A Decomposition Analysis

A previous study in Ethiopia reported significant variation in rotavirus vaccine uptake across socioeconomic strata. This study aims to quantify socioeconomic inequality of rotavirus vaccine uptake in Ethiopia and to identify the contributing factors for the inequality. The concentration curve (CC) and the Erreygers Normalized Concentration Index (ECI) were used to assess the socioeconomic related inequality in rotavirus vaccine uptake using data from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. Decomposition analysis was conducted to identify the drivers of inequalities. The CC for rotavirus vaccine uptake lay below the line of equality and the ECI was 0.270 (p < 0.001) indicating that uptake of rotavirus vaccine in Ethiopia was significantly concentrated among children from families with better socioeconomic status. The decomposition analysis showed that underlining inequalities in maternal health care services utilization, including antenatal care use (18.4%) and institutional delivery (8.1%), exposure to media (12.8%), and maternal educational level (9.7%) were responsible for the majority of observed inequalities in the uptake of rotavirus vaccine. The findings suggested that there is significant socioeconomic inequality in rotavirus vaccine uptake in Ethiopia. Multi-sectoral actions are required to reduce the inequalities, inclusive increasing maternal health care services, and educational attainments among economically disadvantaged mothers.

Does economic growth reduce childhood stunting? A multicountry analysis of 89 Demographic and Health Surveys in sub-Saharan Africa

Background

There is mixed evidence and lack of consensus on the impact of economic development on stunting, and likewise there is a dearth of empirical studies on this relationship in the case of sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, this paper examines whether economic growth is associated with childhood stunting in low-income and middle-income sub-Saharan African countries.

Methods

We analysed data from 89 Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1987 and 2016 available as of October 2018 using multivariable multilevel logistic regression models to show the association between gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and stunting. We adjusted the models for child's age, survey year, child's sex, birth order and country random effect, and presented adjusted and unadjusted ORs.

Results

We included data from 490 526 children. We found that the prevalence of stunting decreased with increasing GDP per capita (correlation coefficient=-0.606, p<0.0001). In the unadjusted model for full sample, for every US$1000 increase in GDP per capita, the odds of stunting decreased by 23% (OR=0.77, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.78). The magnitude of the association between GDP per capita and stunting was stronger among children in the richest quintile. After adjustment was made, the association was not significant among children from the poorest quintile. However, the magnitude of the association was more pronounced among children from low-income countries, such that, in the model adjusted for child's age, survey year, child's sex, birth order and country random effect, the association between GDP per capita and stunting remained statistically significant; for every US$1000 increase in GDP per capita, the odds of stunting decreased by 12% (OR=0.88, 95% CI 0.87 to 0.90).

Conclusion

There was no significant association between economic growth and child nutritional status. The prevalence of stunting decreased with increasing GDP per capita. This was more pronounced among children from the richest quintile. The magnitude of the association was higher among children from low-income countries, suggesting that households in the poorest quintile were typically the least likely to benefit from economic gains. The findings could serve as a building block needed to modify current policy as per child nutrition-related programmes in Africa.

Socio-economic inequality and inequity in use of health care services in Kenya: evidence from the fourth Kenya household health expenditure and utilization survey

Background

Kenya is experiencing persistently high levels of inequity in health and access to care services. In 2018, decades of sustained policy efforts to promote equitable, affordable and quality health services have culminated in the launch of a universal health coverage scheme, initially piloted in four Kenyan counties and planned for national rollout by 2022. Our study aims to contribute to monitoring and evaluation efforts alongside policy implementation, by establishing a detailed, baseline assessment of socio-economic inequality and inequity in health care utilization in Kenya shortly before the policy launch.

Methods

We use concentration curves and corrected concentration indexes to measure socio-economic inequality in care use and the horizontal inequity index as a measure of inequity in care utilization for three types of care services: outpatient care, inpatient care and preventive and promotive care. Further insights into the individual and household level characteristics that determine observed inequality are derived through decomposition analysis.

Results

We find significant inequality and inequity in the use of all types of care services favouring richer population groups, with particularly pronounced levels for preventive and inpatient care services. These are driven primarily by differences in living standards and educational achievement, while the region of residence is a key driver for inequality in preventive care use only. Pro-rich inequalities are particularly pronounced for care provided in privately owned facilities, while public providers serve a much larger share of individuals from lower socio-economic groups.

Conclusions

Through its focus on increasing affordability of care for all Kenyans, the newly launched universal health coverage scheme represents a crucial step towards reducing disparities in health care utilization. However in order to achieve equity in health and access to care such efforts must be paralleled by multi-sectoral approaches to address all key drivers of inequity: persistent poverty, disparities in living standards and educational achievement, as well as regional differences in availability and accessibility of care.

When This Happens, You Want the Best Care: Players' Experiences of Barriers and Facilitators of the Immediate Management of Rugby-Related Acute Spinal Cord Injury

Most contact sports, including rugby union, carry a risk of injury. Although acute spinal cord injuries (ASCIs) in rugby are rare, the consequences of such injuries are far-reaching. Optimal management of these injuries is challenging, and a detailed understanding of the different barriers and facilitators to optimal care is needed. In this study, we aimed to describe the perception of players, regarding factors related to the optimal immediate management of a catastrophic injury in a developing country with socioeconomic and health care inequities. The most frequently reported barriers were transportation delays after injury and admission to appropriate medical facilities. Other barriers included inadequate equipment, the quality of first aid care, and barriers within the acute hospital setting. Barriers were more prevalent in rural and lower socioeconomic areas. These findings are relevant for all rugby stakeholders and may help shape education, awareness, and future policy around the immediate management of ASCIs.

Inequities in Childhood Vaccination Coverage in Zhejiang, Province: Evidence from a Decomposition Analysis on Two-Round Surveys

Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine the degree and risk factors of the inequity in the childhood coverage of full primary immunization (FPI) in Zhejiang province. Method: We used data from two rounds of vaccination coverage surveys among children aged 24–35 months conducted in 2014 and 2017, respectively. The household income per month was used as an index of socioeconomic status for the inequality analysis. The concentration index (CI) was used to quantify the degree of inequality, and the decomposition approach was applied to quantify the contributions from demographic factors to inequality in the coverage of FPI. Results: The coverage rates of FPI were 80.6%, with a CI value of 0.12028 for the 2014 survey, while the coverage rates of FPI were 85.2%, with a CI value of 0.10129 for the 2017 survey. The results of decomposition analysis suggested that 68.2% and 67.1% of the socioeconomic inequality in the coverage of FPI could be explained by the mother’s education level for the 2014 and 2017 survey, respectively. Other risk factors including birth order, ethnic group, mother’s age, maternal employment status, residence, immigration status, GDP per-capita, and the percentage of the total health spending allocated to public health could also explain this inequality. Conclusion: The socioeconomic inequity in the coverage of FPI still remained, although this gap was reduced between 2014 and 2017. Policy recommendations for health interventions on reducing the inequality in the coverage of FPI should be focused on eliminating poverty and women’s illiteracy.