International Journal for Equity in HealthThis is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader, such as GoogleReader, or to display this data on your own website or blog. Subscribe to this data using MyMedWorm.Subscribe to this data using GoogleReader.Subscribe to this data using Bloglines.Subscribe to this data using MyYahoo.

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The ideal of equal health revisited: definitions and measures of inequity in health should be better integrated with theories of distributive justiceEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The past decade witnessed great progress in research on health inequities. The most widely cited definition of health inequity is, arguably, the one proposed by Whitehead and Dahlgren: "Health inequalities that are avoidable, unnecessary, and unfair are unjust." We argue that this definition is useful but in need of further clarification because it is not linked to broader theories of justice. We propose an alternative, pluralist notion of fair distribution of health that is compatible with several theories of distributive justice. Our proposed view consists of the weak principle of health equality and the principle of fai...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - November 18, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Ole NorheimYukiko Asada Source Type: journals

Changes in utilization of health services among poor and rural residents in Uganda: are reforms benefitting the poor?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Although overall utilization of public and PNFP services by rural and poor populations had increased, PFP remained the major source of care. The odds of not seeking care due to distance decreased in rural areas but cost continued to be an important barrier to seeking health services for residents from poor, rural, and elderly headed households. Policy makers should consider targeting subsidies to the poor and rural populations. Public private partnerships should be broadened to increase access to health services among the vulnerable. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - November 12, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: George PariyoElizabeth Ekirapa-KirachoOlico OkuiMohammed Hafizur RahmanStefan PetersonDavid BishaiHenry LucasDavid Peters Source Type: journals

Smoking prevalence trends in Indigenous Australians, 1994-2004: a typical rather than an exceptional epidemicEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Reducing Indigenous smoking need not be considered exceptionally difficult. Inequities in the distribution of smoking related-deaths and illness may be reduced by increasing the exposure and access of Indigenous Australians, and other disadvantaged groups with high smoking prevalence, to proven tobacco control strategies. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - October 31, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: David Thomas Source Type: journals

Financial access to health care in Karuzi, Burundi: a household-survey based performance evaluationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The flat fee policy was found to reduce cost barriers for some households but, given the generalized poverty in the area, the fee still posed a significant financial burden. This report showed the limits of a programme of fee exemption for indigent households and a flat fee for others in a context of widespread poverty. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - October 23, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Sophie Lambert EvansFrederique PonsarTony ReidCatherine BachyMichel Van HerpMit Philips Source Type: journals

A cost-based equity weight for use in the economic evaluation of primary health care interventions: case study of the Australian Indigenous populationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Cost-based weights have the potential to provide a pragmatic method of equity weight construction which is both understandable to policy makers and sensitive to the needs of target groups. It could improve the evidence base for resource allocation decisions, and be generalised to other disadvantaged groups who share similar concepts of equity. Development of this decision-making tool represents a potentially important avenue for further health economics research. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - October 6, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Katherine OngMargaret KelaherIan AndersonRob Carter Source Type: journals

Variations in relative health inequalities: are they a mathematical artefact?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: We found some evidence that the magnitude of relative inequalities in mortality and morbidity is negatively correlated with underlying morbidity prevalence and mortality rates. Although correlations are moderate, underlying morbidity prevalence and mortality rates should be taken into account in the interpretation of variations in relative health inequalities among populations. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - August 26, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Terje EikemoVera SkalickaMauricio Avendano Source Type: journals

A theoretical model for analysing gender bias in medicineEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
During the last decades research has reported unmotivated differences in the treatment of women and men in various areas of clinical and academic medicine. There is an ongoing discussion on how to avoid such gender bias. We developed a three-step-theoretical model to understand how gender bias in medicine can occur and be understood. In this paper we present the model and discuss its usefulness in the efforts to avoid gender bias. In the model gender bias is analysed in relation to assumptions concerning difference/sameness and equity/inequity between women and men. Our model illustrates that gender bias in medicine can ar...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - August 2, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Gunilla RisbergEva JohanssonKatarina Hamberg Source Type: journals

Achieving progress in maternal and neonatal health through integrated and comprehensive healthcare services - experiences from a programme in northern TanzaniaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Considering the relatively low cost of a comprehensive hospital programme including outreach services and the lower mortality ratios found in the catchment area of the hospital, we argue that donor funds should be used for supporting horizontal programmes aimed at comprehensive healthcare services. Through a strengthening of the collaboration between government and voluntary agency facilities, with clinical, preventive and managerial capabilities of the health facilities, the programmes will have a more sustainable impact and will achieve greater progress in the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality, as ...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - July 29, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Bjorg Evjen-OlsenOystein Evjen OlsenGunnar Kvale Source Type: journals

Changes in smoking prevalence among first- and second-generation Turkish migrants in Germany - an analysis of the 2005 MicrocensusEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: We present the first representative data on changes in the prevalence of a risk factor for many chronic diseases among Turkish migrants in Germany. Male Turkish migrants (with a high level of education) showed a decrease over the generations while smoking prevalences of female Turkish migrants increased. In the second generation, prevalences partly converged with those of the German reference population or were even higher. Our hypothesis - that migration can be interpreted as a "health transition" - was thus partly confirmed. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - July 19, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Anna ReeskeJacob SpallekOliver Razum Source Type: journals

Community perceptions about barriers and facilitating factors influencing healthcare utilization in UgandaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The differential patterning of social resources may explain or contribute to the persisting inequities in health care utilization. Additional research using quantitative analytical methods is needed to test the robustness of the contribution of social resources to the utilization of and access to healthcare services. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - July 13, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Solome BakeeraSarah WamalaSandro GaleaAndrew StateStefan PetersonGeorge Pariyo Source Type: journals

Access to health care for Roma children in Central and Eastern Europe: findings from a qualitative study in BulgariaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Our research illustrates the complexity of the problems the Roma face. Access to health care cannot be discussed in isolation from other problems this population group experiences, such as poverty, restricted access to education, and social exclusion. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - June 29, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Boika RechelClare BlackburnNick SpencerBernd Rechel Source Type: journals

Impact of age at marriage and migration on HIV and AIDS epidemics in JapanEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The causes of wide variation in the rates of HIV and AIDS epidemics among Japanese and non-Japanese nationals are not well understood. So, this paper examines the associations and assesses the potential roles of mean age at marriage, and migration in the HIV and AIDS epidemics in Japan. For the purpose, bivariate and multivariate regression analysis have been performed using epidemiological panel data to build up the relationships among overall HIV and AIDS prevalence, mean age at marriage, and migration. The same analyses have done for non-Japanese nationals living with HIV and AIDS separately. These indicators were signi...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - June 9, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Nazrul Islam MondalHiroshi Takaku TakakuYasushi Ohkusa Ohkusa Source Type: journals

Inequalities in maternity care and newborn outcomes: one-year surveillance of births in vulnerable slum communities in MumbaiEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Analyses of this type have usually been applied across the population spectrum from richest to poorest, and we were struck by the regularly stepped picture of inequalities within the urban poor, a group that might inadvertently be considered relatively homogeneous. The poorest slum residents are more dependent upon public sector health care, but the regular progression towards the private sector raises questions about its quality and regulation. It also underlines the need for healthcare provision strategies to take account of both sectors. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - June 5, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Neena Shah MoreUjwala BapatSushmita DasSarah BarnettAnthony CostelloArmida FernandezDavid Osrin Source Type: journals

Using extended concentration and achievement indices to study socioeconomic inequality in chronic childhood malnutrition: the case of NigeriaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: There are significant differences in under-five child malnutrition that favour the better-off of society as a whole and all geopolitical regions. Like other studies have reported, reliance on global averages alone can be misleading. Thus there is a need for evaluating policies not only in terms of improvements in averages, but also improvements in distribution. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - June 5, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Olalekan Uthman Source Type: journals

Health financing for the poor produces promising short-term effects on utilization and out-of-pocket expenditure: evidence from VietnamEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The results indicate that the Health Care Fund for the Poor is meeting its objectives of increasing utilization and reducing out-of-pocket expenditure for the program's target population, despite numerous administrative problems resulting in delayed and only partial implementation in most provinces. The main lessons for low and middle-income countries from Vietnam's early experiences with the Health Care Fund for the Poor are that it managed to achieve positive outcomes in a short time-period, the need to ensure adequate and sustained funding for targeted programs, including marginal administrative costs, deve...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - May 27, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Henrik AxelsonSarah BalesPham Duc MinhBjorn EkmanUlf-G Gerdtham Source Type: journals

Social determinants of health and health inequities in Nakuru (Kenya)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The use of a participatory method proved to be a useful approach that could benefit other urban centres in their analysis of social determinants of health. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - May 14, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Esther Muchukuri and Francis R Grenier Source Type: journals

School-related mediators in social inequalities in smoking: a comparative cross-sectional study of 20,399 adolescents.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: - The study found social inequality in daily smoking in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and United Kingdom, as well as inequalities in students' academic achievement and school satisfaction. The analyses also showed that above average academic achievement was associated with lower OR of smoking. Teachers and politicians may find this information useful, and allocate resources to give higher priority to a supportive environment in schools especially for children and adolescents in lower social groups. Subsequently this prioritisation might contribute to reducing smoking in this group. (Source: International Jo...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - May 14, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Christina W. Schnohr, Svend Kreiner, Mette Rasmussen, Pernille Due and Finn Diderichsen Source Type: journals

Reducing user fees for primary health care in Kenya: Policy on paper or policy in practice?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: We conclude that reducing user fees in primary health care in Kenya is a policy on paper that is yet to be implemented fully. We recommend that caution be taken when deciding on how to reduce or abolish user fees and that all potential consequences are carefully considered. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - May 8, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Jane Chuma, Janet Musimbi, Vincent Okungu, Catherine Goodman and Catherine Molyneux Source Type: journals

Better science with sex and gender: Facilitating the use of a sex and gender-based analysis in health researchEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In conclusion, we stress the need for continued attention to sex and gender in health research. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - May 6, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Joy L. Johnson, Lorraine Greaves and Robin Repta Source Type: journals

Who has access to counseling and testing and anti-retroviral therapy in Malawi - an equity analysisEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: To promote equitable access for CT and ART in Malawi there is need to further invest in human resources for health, and seize opportunities to integrate CT and ART services with tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections and maternal health services. This should not only promote access to services but also ensure that resources available for CT and ART strengthen rather than undermine the provision of the essential health package in Malawi. Ongoing equity analysis of services is important in analyzing which groups are unrepresented in services and developing initiatives to address these. Creative models of d...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - May 5, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Ireen Makwiza, Lot Nyirenda, Grace Bongololo, Talumba Banda, Rhehab Chimzizi and Sally Theobald Source Type: journals

Beneficial impacts of a national smokefree environments law on an indigenous population: a multifaceted evaluationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The New Zealand Smokefree Environments Amendment Act had a range of positive effects, including reducing SHS exposure among Maori communities. If the experience is replicated in other countries with indigenous populations, it suggests that comprehensive smokefree environments legislation will have beneficial effects on the health of indigenous groups and could contribute to reducing inequalities in health within societies. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - April 30, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Richard Edwards, Heather Gifford, Andrew Waa, Marewa Glover, George Thomson and Nick Wilson Source Type: journals

Access to health care in relation to socio-economic status in the Amazonian area of PeruEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Background: Access to affordable health care is limited in many low and middle income countries and health systems are often inequitable, providing less health services to the poor who need it most. The aim of this study was to investigate health seeking behavior and utilization of drugs in relation to household socioeconomic status for children in two small Amazonian urban communities of Peru; Yurimaguas, Department of Loreto and Moyobamba, Department of San Martin, Peru. Methods: Cross-sectional study design included household interviews. Caregivers of 780 children aged 6-72 months in Yurimaguas and 793 children of the ...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - April 15, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Charlotte Kristiansson, Eduardo Gotuzzo, Hugo Rodriguez, Alessandro Bartoloni, Marianne Strohmeyer, Goran Tomson and Per Hartvig Source Type: journals

Social determinants of health in Tunisia: the case-analysis of ArianaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Recognition of emerging health issues is needed along with improved inter and intrasectoral coordination among stakeholders. The community-participatory approach used in this paper proved to be a useful scoping technique for this setting. A similar methodology could be used by other researchers as a first step toward health equity action at a city level. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - April 3, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Habiba Ben Romdhane and Francis R Grenier Source Type: journals

Current cigarette smoking among in-school American youth: results from the 2004 National Youth Tobacco SurveyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Background: Tobacco use is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality. In the developed nations where the burden from infectious diseases is lower, the burden of disease from tobacco use is especially magnified. Understanding the factors that may be associated with adolescent cigarette smoking may aid in the design of prevention programs. Methods: A secondary analysis of the 2004 United States National Youth Tobacco Survey was carried out to estimate the association between current cigarette smoking and selected smoking-related variables. Study participants were recruited from middle and high schools in the Uni...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - April 3, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Emmanuel Rudatsikira, Adamson S Muula and Seter Siziya Source Type: journals

Policy characteristics facilitating primary health care in Thailand: A pilot study in transitional countryEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: A primary care systems questionnaire administered to different types of health professionals was able to show that resource distribution was equitable at a national level but some aspects of primary care practice across regions is still of concern, in at least in this transitional country. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - March 26, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Krit Pongpirul, Barbara Starfield, Supattra Srivanichakorn and Supasit Pannarunothai Source Type: journals

Socioeconomic inequality in child injury in Bangladesh - implication for developing countriesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Despite concentration indices used in this study, the analysis reflected the family's socioeconomic position in Bangladesh context, showing a very strong statistical association with child mortality. Due to existing socioeconomic situation in Bangladesh, the poor children were more vulnerable to injury occurrence. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - March 23, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Sheikh M Giashuddin, Aminur Rahman, Fazlur Rahman, Saidur Rahman Mashrekey, Salim Mahmud Chowdhury, Michael Linnan and Sumona Safinaz Source Type: journals

Gender-specific epidemiology of diabetes: a representative cross-sectional studyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The results found that men and women with diabetes face different challenges in the management of their condition. Public health implications include a need for quality surveillance data, including epidemiological life course, social, behavioural, genetic and environmental factors. This will enrich the evidence base for health promotion professionals and allow policy makers to draw inferences and conclusions for interventions and planning purposes. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - March 11, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Janet F Grant, Neville Hicks, Anne W Taylor, Catherine R Chittleborough and Patrick J Phillips Source Type: journals

Trend in geographic distribution of physicians in JapanEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The problem of a doctor shortage in Japan is linked to both the shortage of absolute number of physicians and the mal-distribution of hospital physicians. The new postgraduate internship system might worsen this situation. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - March 3, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Shin-ichi Toyabe Source Type: journals

The applicability of measures of socioeconomic position to different ethnic groups within the UKEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: In the UK, education appears to be an effective variable for measuring variation in SEP across ethnic groups but the ability to account for SEP differences may be improved by the addition of car and home ownership, ability to obtain 10 000, loaning money to family/friends and income from employment/self employment. Further research is required to establish the degree to which results of this study are generalisable. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - February 27, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Margaret Kelaher, Sheila Paul, Helen Lambert, Waqar Ahmad and George Davey Smith Source Type: journals

Social class, marginality and self-assessed health: a cross-sectional analysis of the health gradient in MexicoEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Overall, the findings of this study provided empirical evidence that social inequality negatively influences health through a differential exposure and an unequal distribution of resources across the class spectrum: the lower the social class, the poorer the perception of health. The results also showed that living in more deprived regions had a further negative effect on health. From a policy perspective, the gradient effects of social class suggest that non-targeted policies should be designed to address both material conditions at the individual level as well as deprived living conditions at higher levels o...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - February 23, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Adolfo Martinez Valle Source Type: journals

How are individual-level social capital and poverty associated with health equity? A study from two Chinese citiesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: In this study, we have shown that the interaction effect between poverty and lack of social capital (NC and RSS) was a good predictor of poor SRH in urban China. Improving NC and RSS may be helpful in reducing health inequity; however, poverty reduction is more important and therefore should be implemented at the same time. Policies that attempt to improve health equity via social capital, but neglect poverty intervention, would be counter-productive. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - February 15, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Xiaojie Sun, Clas Rehnberg and Qingyue Meng Source Type: journals

Association between maternal use of traditional healer services and child vaccination coverage in Pont-Sonde, HaitiEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: We found that mother's use of traditional healer services was negatively associated with vaccination of Haitian children. Findings from this study underscore the potential to enlist the support of traditional healers in promoting child health by educating, mentoring them (the traditional healers) in supporting vaccination efforts. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - January 8, 2009 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Adamson S Muula, Matine M Polycarpe, Jayakaran Job, Seter Siziya and Emmanuel Rudatsikira Source Type: journals

Social inequalities in mental health in Norway: possible explanatory factorsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Both individual characteristics, supposedly linked to the personality, like low self-efficacy, and factors related to the actual life situation, like economic problems and a feeling of powerlessness, contribute to the social gradient in mental health, and both aspects should be addressed in preventive work. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - December 24, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Odd S Dalgard Source Type: journals

Development and preliminary validation of the 'Caring for Country' questionnaire: measurement of an Indigenous Australian health determinantEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: This study indicates preliminary support for the validity of the caring for country concept and a questionnaire designed to measure it. This study also highlights the importance of investigating Indigenous-asserted health promotion activities. Further studies in similar populations are merited to test the generalisability of this questionnaire and to explore associations with other important Indigenous health outcomes. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - December 18, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Christopher P Burgess, Helen L Berry, Wendy Gunthorpe and Ross S Bailie Source Type: journals

Determinants of self-rated health in women: A population-based study in Armavir marz, Armenia, 2001 & 2004Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Material deprivation was the most influential predictor of self-rated health. Thus, social reforms to decrease the gap between the rich and poor were recommended as a powerful tool for reducing health inequalities and improving the health status of the population. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - December 12, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Anahit Demirchyan and Michael E. Thompson Source Type: journals

Disparities in child health in the Arab region during the 1990sEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The tenacity of pervasive intra-country socioeconomic disparities in child health calls for attention by policy makers and health practitioners. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - November 20, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Marwan Khawaja, Jesse Dawns, Sonya Meyerson-Knox and Rouham Yamout Source Type: journals

Health insurance of rural/township schoolchildren in Pinggu, Beijing: Coverage rate, determinants, disparities, and sustainabilityEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Schoolchildren's health insurance enrollment to and retention in the low-premium cooperative schemes are threatened by their limited tangible value for routine care as well as low reimbursement rate for major medical events. Coverage rates may be improved by offering complimentary and supplementary benefit options with flexible premiums via a multi-tier system consisting of national, regional, and commercial programs. Health insurance education by means of community outreach can reinforce positive parental perceptions, hence promoting and retaining insurance enrollment in short-term. (Source: International Jou...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - November 3, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Jane M Zhu, Yiliang Zhu and Rui Liu Source Type: journals

Sexual slavery without borders: trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation in IndiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Trafficking in women and children is a gross violation of human rights. However, this does not prevent an estimated 800 000 women and children to be trafficked each year across international borders. Eighty per cent of trafficked persons end in forced sex work. India has been identified as one of the Asian countries where trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation has reached alarming levels. While there is a considerable amount of internal trafficking from one state to another or within states, India has also emerged as a international supplier of trafficked women and children to the Gulf States and South East Asia, a...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - September 25, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Christine Joffres, Edward Mills, Michel Joffres, Tinku Khanna, Harleen Walia and Darrin Grund Source Type: journals

Is it possible to identify patient's sex when reading blinded illness narratives? An experimental study about gender biasEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: It was possible to detect gender differences in the blinded illness narratives. The students' explanations for their choice of sex agreed with common gender stereotypes implying that such stereotypes correspond, at least on a group level, to differences in male and female patients' illness descriptions. However, it was also obvious that preconceptions about gender obstructed and biased the interpretations, a finding with implications for the understanding of gender bias in clinical practice. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - August 18, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Jenny Andersson, Pär Salander, Marie Brandstetter-Hiltunen, Emma Knutsson and Katarina Hamberg Source Type: journals

Is it possible to identify patients' sex when reading blinded illness narratives? - An experimental study about gender bias.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: It was possible to detect gender differences in the blinded illness narratives. The students' explanations for their choice of sex agreed with common gender stereotypes implying that such stereotypes correspond, at least on a group level, to differences in male and female patients' illness descriptions. However, it was also obvious that preconceptions about gender obstructed and biased the interpretations, a finding with implications for the understanding of gender bias in clinical practice. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - August 18, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Jenny Andersson, Par Salander, Marie Brandstetter-Hiltunen, Emma Knutsson and Katarina Hamberg Source Type: journals

13,915 reasons for equity in sexual offences legislation: a national school-based survey in South AfricaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: This study uncovers endemic sexual abuse of male children that was suspected but hitherto only poorly documented. Legal recognition of the criminality of rape of male children is a first step. The next steps include serious investment in supporting male victims of abuse, and in prevention of all childhood sexual abuse. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - July 29, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Neil Andersson and Ari Ho Foster Source Type: journals

Determinants of self rated health and mortality in Russia - are they the same ?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Although subjective health predicted mortality, the predictors of these two outcomes differed. Influences on subjective health other than serious disease and risk factors for relatively sudden deaths in apparently well people may be important, but require further research. Meanwhile, caution is required when using findings studies of self-rated health in Russia to understand the determinants of mortality. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - July 25, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Francesca Perlman and Martin Bobak Source Type: journals

Practice characteristics and prescribing of cardiovascular drugs in areas with higher risk of CHD in Scotland: cross-sectional studyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Patients with higher risk of CHD tend to live in areas served by practices with lower prescribing rates and poorer structural characteristics. The scale of the differences in prescribing suggests that health care system factors rather than individual treatment decisions cause inequity in care. Identifying whether South Asian individuals are less likely to receive heart disease drugs than non South Asians requires individual-level prescribing data, which is currently not available in the UK. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - July 15, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Gary McLean Source Type: journals

Practice characteristics and prescribing of cardiovascular drugs in areas with higher risk of CHD in Scotland: cross-sectional studyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Background: We examine whether practices in areas with higher risks of CHD prescribe different levels of cardiovascular drugs and describe how they differ in GP and practice characteristics. Methods: Propensity score matching was used to identify two groups of practices in Scotland. The cases were in areas with 5% or more of the population in South Asian ethnic groups. The controls were in areas with less than 1% of the population in South Asian ethnic groups and were matched for other population characteristics. Results: The 39 case practices experience higher levels of morbidity and deprivation than the controls. They ha...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - July 15, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Gary McLean Source Type: journals

Evaluation of the new rural cooperative medical system in China: is it working or not?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Background: To prove the possibility of implementing the New Rural Cooperative Medical System (NRCMS) at different levels with a premium funding according to their economic level in developed and less developed areas in Guangdong province, and study the insurable inpatients in different types of regions, taking into account limitations of indemnities and loss ratios.MethodAll data samples were randomly collected from the NRCMS Department, Guangdong Province. Gross domestic product (GDP) at 10000 RMB per capita was employed to divide Guangdong into two economic levels: (1) economically developed & (2) less economically deve...
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - July 1, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Hassan H Dib, Xilong Pan and Hong Zhang Source Type: journals

Equity in the use of antithrombotic drugs, beta-blockers and statins among Finnish coronary patientsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The use of antithrombotic drugs and beta-blockers among Finnish coronary patients seemed to be rather appropriate and, to some extent, prescription practices of preventive medication varied according to patients' risk of coronary events. However, statin use was remarkably low among men with low socio-economic status, and there is need to improve preventive drug treatment among diabetic coronary patients. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - June 30, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Kristiina Manderbacka, Ilmo Keskimaki, Antti Reunanen and Timo Klaukka Source Type: journals

Equity in Health Care Financing: The Case of MalaysiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Malaysia's two tier health system, of a heavily subsidised public sector and a user charged private sector, has produced a progressive health financing system. The case of Malaysia exemplifies that policy makers can gain an in depth understanding of the equity impact, in order to help shape health financing strategies for the nation. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - June 9, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Chai Ping Yu, David K Whynes and Tracey H Sach Source Type: journals

Inequalities in mortality of men by oral and pharyngeal cancer in Barcelona, Spain and Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1995-2003Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The quantitative monitoring of inequalities in health may contribute to the formulation of redistributive policies aimed at the concurrent promotion of wellbeing and social justice. The assessment of groups experiencing a higher burden of disease can instruct health services to provide additional resources for expanding preventive actions and facilities aimed at early diagnosis, standardized treatments and rehabilitation. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - June 4, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Jose Leopoldo Ferreira Antunes, Carme Borrell, Gloria Perez, Antonio Fernando Boing and Victor Wunsch-Filho Source Type: journals

Low socio-economic position is associated with poor social networks and social support: results from the Heinz Nixdorf Recall StudyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
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. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - May 5, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Simone Weyers, Nico Dragano, Susanne Moebus, Eva-Maria Beck, Andreas Stang, Stephan Moehlenkamp, Karl Heinz Joeckel, Raimund Erbel and Johannes Siegrist Source Type: journals

What impact do prescription drug charges have on efficiency and equity? Evidence from high-income countriesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article reviews 173 studies from 15 high-income countries and discusses their implications for important issues sometimes ignored in the literature; in particular, the extent to which prescription charges contain health care costs and enhance efficiency without lowering equity of access to care. (Source: International Journal for Equity in Health)
Source: International Journal for Equity in Health - May 2, 2008 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Marin C Gemmill, Sarah Thomson and Elias Mossialos Source Type: journals