Guidelines and scientifically-based spina bifida care: Guidance across the lifespan in a global health context

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-455
Author(s):  
Jonathan Castillo ◽  
Heidi Castillo ◽  
Timothy J. Brei
Keyword(s):  
Spina Bifida ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Evidenced Based

The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that, if of nothing else, we live in a globalized community. Enthusiasm for evidenced-based medical knowledge is also contagious. Just as the incidence of SARS-CoV-2, the associated coronavirus, has had a borderless impact on global public health, so too neural tube defects have widespread significance. Previously, the concept of “blue marble health” was introduced as a policy framework to illustrate trends in the geographic distribution of health disparities affecting at-risk populations that live, not only in low-income countries, but also in pockets of the populace in wealthier nations. Subsequently, the Spina Bifida Association’s Collaborative Care Network, through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recently produced the “Guidelines for the Care of People with Spina Bifida.” While language differences, immigration, cultural beliefs, acculturation, local resources and social determinants of health, must be taken into account when these guidelines are implemented across the globe, they could not come at a more suitable time. The current digital age, as well as open access to this special issue, will ensure their ongoing wide distribution.

scholarly journals Pooled Sputum for Xpert MTB/RIF Testing: A Cost Effectiveness Diagnostic Tool in Mwanza, Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shimba Henerico ◽  
Richard V. Makapa ◽  
Bernard C. Okamo ◽  
Benson R. Kidenya ◽  
Geoffrey Japhet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Positive Sample ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Testing Strategy ◽  
Pooled Testing ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Pooled Samples

Abstract Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health problem, with the highest burden occurring in low-income countries, wherein the use of more sensitive diagnostics, such as Xpert MTB/RIF (GeneXpert), is still limited by costs. Testing of pooled samples from various individuals has been thought and thus investigated as a cost saving strategy to diagnose some diseases including TB. Then in cases where a pool is positive, retesting of the individual samples in that pool is done to identify the positive sample. We assessed the utility of a pooled testing strategy to optimize the affordability of GeneXpert for the diagnosis of TB Mwanza Tanzania. Methods: Remainder of samples from presumptive TB patients submitted for routine TB diagnosis were used for pooled samples (5 per pool) testing. The agreement of the results between individual sample testing against pooled samples testing and cost-effectiveness were assessed.Results: A total of 250 individual routinely submitted samples for TB diagnosis were tested using the established protocols. The median age of study participants was 35 [IQR 27 – 40] years and 143 (57.2%) were males. Of the 250 samples, 28 (11.2%) were detected to have MTB whereas 222 (88.8%) samples, were negative. Of the 50 sputum pools made, MTB were detected in 17 (34.0%) pools. Following retesting of these 17 positive pools, all 28 (100%) individual MTB samples were detected with the overall agreement being 100% (With the sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 100%). The number of individual MTB positive ranged from 1 to 3 per pool. Using pooling of sputum samples, the technique saved 115 (46.0%) of the cartridges in running 250 samples. This is equivalent to saving US$ 1147.7. Conclusion: The pooled sputum testing strategy reduced cartridge costs by 46.0%. The use of the pooled testing strategy reduces costs and has the potential to increase the affordability of GeneXpert testing in countries with limited resources. Pooled sputum for Xpert MTB/RIF can be used as an affordable diagnostic and/or screening tool in resource limited settings, such as Tanzania.

scholarly journals Somalia

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (86) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Debt Relief ◽  
Debt Management ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Debt Sustainability ◽  
Poor Countries ◽  
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries ◽  
Hipc Initiative

This paper presents an assessment of Somalia’s eligibility for assistance under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. The macroeconomic framework reflects the policy framework underlying the proposed three-year Fund-supported program. The debt relief analysis (DRA) remains largely unchanged, but some of the underlying debt data has been updated to reflect new information from creditors. In addition, this paper presents an assessment of debt management capacity in Somalia and a full Debt Sustainability Analysis under the Debt Sustainability Framework for Low-Income Countries. The DRA reveals that, after traditional debt relief mechanisms are applied, Somalia’s debt burden expressed as the net present value of debt-to-exports ratio is 344.2 percent at the end of December 2018—significantly above the HIPC Initiative threshold. Despite the challenging environment, progress on reform and policy implementation has been good and sustained reforms have translated into economic results. In addition to the coordinated support from the World Bank and the IMF, reforms have been supported by other development partners.

Cross-cultural metacognition as a prior for humanitarian knowledge: when cultures collide in global health emergencies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tachia Chin ◽  
Jianwei Meng ◽  
Shouyang Wang ◽  
Yi Shi ◽  
Jianxin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Normative Theory ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Business World ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Conflicts

Purpose A serious global public health emergency (GPHE) like the COVID-19 aggravates the inequilibrium of medical care and other critical resources between wealthy and poor nations, which, coupled with the collision of cultures, indicates the vital need for developing humanitarian knowledge transcending cultures. Given the scarcity of literature addressing such unprecedent issues, this paper thus proposes new, unconventional viewpoints and future themes at the intersection of knowledge management (KM) and humanitarian inquiry. Design/methodology/approach This paper is conceptual in nature. The data of the World Bank and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs are analysed to introduce some emerging real impact topics regarding cross-cultural conflicts and humanitarian knowledge in the post-COVID business world. The theoretical foundation was built upon a critical literature review. Findings This paper synthesizes the perspectives of culture, KM and the humanistic philosophy to distil the core component of cultural intelligence and comparatively and thereby illuminating why cross-cultural metacognition acts as a priori for achieving cosmopolitan humanitarian knowledge. Research limitations/implications This paper provides profound implications to academics by highlighting the importance to formulating new, inter-disciplinary themes or unorthodox, phenomenon-driven assumptions beyond the traditional KM domain. This paper also offers practitioners and policymakers valuable insights into coping with the growing disparity between high- and low-income countries by showing warning signs of a looming humanitarian crisis associated with a GPHE context. Originality/value This paper does not aim to claim the birth of a new domain but call for more research on developing a normative theory of humanitarian knowledge as transcendence of cultures. It implies uncharted territories of great interest and potential for the real impact KM community.

scholarly journals The Political Economy of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Does Performance on the SDGs Affect Re-Election?

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6445
Author(s):  
Christian Kroll ◽  
Vera Zipperer
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Voting Behavior ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Economic Voting ◽  
Policy Framework ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
Development Goals

While the economic voting hypothesis is a well-researched approach to explain behavior at the ballot box, a broader perspective of economic, social and environmental issues regarding a government’s chances to get re-elected is still missing in the literature. In this context, this paper makes use for the first time of the Agenda 2030 with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the comprehensive policy framework that all 193 UN member states have pledged to achieve. The objective of our study is therefore to examine the relationship between SDGs’ progress and the likelihood of re-election. Our analysis of 124 countries regarding performance on the SDGs over time and voting behavior shows: the chance to get re-elected as a government significantly increases for progress made towards SDG 5 (Gender Equality). Notable differences are also found for high-income vs. low-income countries. The fact that governments are rewarded at the ballot box for successful action towards gender equality is encouraging, while the mechanisms behind other SDG areas deserve more research.

scholarly journals Actions Targeting the Double Burden of Malnutrition: A Scoping Review

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Menon ◽  
José L. Peñalvo
Keyword(s):  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Nutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Double Burden ◽  
Double Burden Of Malnutrition

Background: In many developing countries, nutritional and epidemiological transitions are contributing to continuous undernutrition and escalating overnutrition, resulting in coexisting forms of malnutrition often referred as the “double burden of malnutrition” (DBM). This complex phenomenon constitutes an unprecedented challenge to global public health and has been prioritized by international health organizations, prompting governments to swift action. Specifically, five years ago the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed a roadmap to tackle the DBM though so-called “double-duty actions”. The objective of this review was to synthesize the literature on interventions which address the DBM. Methods: We developed a scoping review to identify interventions addressing the DBM. We searched PUBMED for papers reporting interventions until December 2019. Articles examining interventions, government policies, or tools at the individual, household, or community level to address the DBM were included. Results: Seven articles met the inclusion criteria. Three were from sub-Saharan Africa, one was from Southeast Asia, and one was from Central America. Two were modelling studies, with one covering 24 low-income countries and the other focusing on Ghana. Conclusion: Notwithstanding the pressing issue of the DBM, there is a paucity of studies examining double-duty actions despite the attention that it has garnered within the global nutrition community. Whilst nutrient deficiencies may be curbed by poverty reduction measures, for obesity prevention nutrition, education and promotion of physical activity, along with the encouragement of local food production, may be instrumental.

scholarly journals Epidemiological study of burns registered in Fatemi hospital in Ardabil, 2016

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 2200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anahita Zakeri ◽  
Firouz Amani ◽  
Vahid Abbasi
Keyword(s):  
Epidemiological Study ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
And Control

Background: Burns after traffic accidents, falls and interpersonal violence are the fourth most commonly damaged worldwide. Annually more than 11 million people suffered to sever burns that most of them need for interventions and according WHO statistics, yearly more than 300000 people die from fire-related burns and most of them occurred in low income countries. The aim of this study was Epidemiological study of burns registered in Fatemi hospital in Ardabil, 2016.Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study has been done on 200 burns registered in burn unit of Fatemi hospital in 2016. Information included age, sex, residence place (urban-rural), marital status, time and area of burn, percent and degree of burn, cause and mechanism of burn, hospitalized time and result of treatment completed by a checklist and analyzed by statistical methods in SPSS version 19.Results: Of all patients, 118 (59%) were male, 62.5% rural and 50% single. Most of burns occurred in age group less than 10 with 33%. The most common cause of burns was hot liquids with 51.5%. Most of cases had burn in degree 2 (71%) and 53.5% of cases hospitalized five days in hospital. 93.5% of patients improved and discharged.Conclusions: Results showed that most of burns in this study occurred in age group less than 10 year. So, that it is necessary to prevent these events in future by taking the necessary measures and control and prevention by families.

scholarly journals Oral Health Status among Migrants from Middle- and Low-Income Countries to Europe: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 12203
Author(s):  
Dorina Lauritano ◽  
Giulia Moreo ◽  
Francesco Carinci ◽  
Vincenzo Campanella ◽  
Fedora Della Della Vella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Dental Health ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Oral Health Status ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Caries Experience

Introduction. Economic inequality, political instability and globalization have contributed to the constant growth of the migration phenomenon in recent years. In particular, a total of 4.2 million people migrated to Europe during 2019 and most of them settled in Germany, France and Italy. Objectives. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of studies analyzing the oral health condition among migrants from middle- and low-income countries to Europe and assessing the eventual association between their sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics and oral health status. Materials and Methods. A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Science Direct databases. After titles, abstracts and full-text examination, only 27 articles were selected on the basis of inclusion criteria and consequently included for quality assessments and data extraction. Results. Most of the studies reported a higher prevalence of caries experience, a poorer periodontal health and more difficulties in accessing dentalcare services among migrant groups compared with the non-migrant population. Inequalities were mostly associated with ethnic background, economic condition and social grade. Conclusion. Our review demonstrates the lack of dental health among migrants, underlining that their cultural beliefs and their social and economic living conditions could influence their oral health.

scholarly journals Vaping Shadows Tobacco Control: Imperatives for Malaysia

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-44
Author(s):  
Keivan Ahmadi ◽  
Ireneous N. Soyiri
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Electronic Cigarettes ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Multilevel Marketing ◽  
Shopping Centres ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Unpublished Observation

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been the subject of numerous debates in the literature. (Bullen et al., 2013; Cressey, 2014; The Lancet, 2013) So much discussion has been on it this year alone to the extent that the word vape, which means ‘to inhale and exhale the vapour produced by an e-cigarette or similar device’, has become the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the year. E-cigarettes have gained popularity amongst the youth who are smokers and want to quit as well as among children and adult non-smokers who fancy it. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013; Dawkins, Turner, Roberts & Soar, 2013; Emery, Vera, Huang & Szczypka, 2014; News & Angeles, n.d.; Serrie, 2014; US Drug and Food Administration, 2014) Even in rural communities in middle- and low-income countries, their availability in shopping centres and through multilevel marketing schemes is common (I.N.S., unpublished observation/data).

scholarly journals Systematic review and meta-analysis of iodine deficiency and its associated factors among pregnant women in Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robel Hussen kabthymer ◽  
Mohammed Feyisso Shaka ◽  
Getnet Melaku Ayele ◽  
Bereket Geze malako
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Iodine Deficiency ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Iodized Salt ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Pooled Prevalence

Abstract Background Iodine deficiency (ID) is a global public health problem and its impact is more pronounced in low-income countries. During pregnancy, iodine requirement is known to elevate sharply, making pregnant women, especially those living in low-income countries highly vulnerable to iodine deficiency. This study aims to assess the prevalence of iodine deficiency and its associated factors among pregnant women in Ethiopia. Methods A systematic literature search was performed by using PubMed, CINAHL, Web of science, global health, and Google scholar electronic databases. Two authors independently extracted all the necessary data using a structured data extraction format. Data analysis was done using STATA Version 14. The heterogeneity of the studies was assessed by using I2 test. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence and pooled odds ratio. The presence of publication bias was checked using Funnel plot and Egger’s test. Results One thousand one hundred and sixteen studies were reviewed and seven studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis of seven studies that included 2190 pregnant women showed a pooled prevalence of iodine deficiency during pregnancy to be 68.76% (95% CI: 55.21–82.31). In a subgroup analysis, the prevalence in Oromia region is 71.93% (95% CI: 54.87–88.99) and in Amhara region is 60.93% (95% CI: 57.39–64.48). Iodized salt use (AOR = 0.18; 95% CI: 0.08–0.44) and 1st trimester pregnancy (AOR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.47–0.99) were found to have a significant association with iodine deficiency. Conclusions The prevalence of iodine deficiency during pregnancy using urine iodine is considerably high in Ethiopia. Using iodized salt is found to reduce the burden. Hence, there is a need to strengthen iodization programs to tackle the problem.

scholarly journals Clinical assessment of micronutrient deficiencies among children (1- 5 years) enrolled in anganwadis of old Hubli slums, Karnataka, India

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rana Sarvar ◽  
D. D. Bant
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin A ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Childhood Mortality ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity

Background: Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals required in small amounts that are essential to our health, development, and growth.  As tiny as the amounts are, however, the consequences of their absence are severe. Iodine, vitamin A and iron are most important in global public health terms; their lack represents a major threat to the health and development, particularly children and pregnant women in low-income countries. The objectives were to clinically evaluate micronutrient deficiencies among children aged 1-5 years enrolled in anganwadi’s of old Hubli.Methods:A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 children enrolled in the anganwadis of Hubli slums for signs and symptoms of micronutrient deficiency.Results: Pallor was found in 78% children and delayed developmental milestones in 20% followed by delayed eruption of teeth in 17%. Among the studied group 37% had dry hair and dry skin. Vitamin A, B, C, D deficiency was seen in 1%, 29%, 14%, 38% respectively.Conclusions:The study concludes micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent among preschool children more so in with higher birth order having partial immunization. This appeals effective implementation of national health programmes, which can play a crucial role in addressing the hidden hunger. Correcting micronutrient deficiencies can significantly reduce childhood mortality and morbidity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document