OBJECTIVE Self-harm and suicide increase in times of economic recession, but little is known about why people self-harm when in financial difficulty, and in what circumstances self-harm occurs. This study aimed to understand events and experiences leading to the episode of self-harm and to identify opportunities for prevention or mitigation of distress. SETTING Participants' homes or universi...

BACKGROUND As the Millennium Development Goals ended, and were replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals, efforts have been made to evaluate the achievements and performance of official development assistance (ODA) in the health sector. In this study, we explore trends in the expansion of water and sanitation coverage in developing countries and the performance of ODA. DESIGN We explored ...

Concerns that international trade and investment represent a growing threat to workers in OECD countries currently run very high. How many workers are losing their jobs as a result of rising imports or the " delocalisation " of jobs? Are trade-displaced workers able to move into new jobs which offer pay comparable to that on the jobs lost to international competition, or are these layoffs a pat...

PROBLEM The lack of proper water and sanitation infrastructures and poor hygiene practices in health-care facilities reduces facilities' preparedness and response to disease outbreaks and decreases the communities' trust in the health services provided. APPROACH To improve water and sanitation infrastructures and hygiene practices, the Liberian health ministry held multistakeholder meetings t...

For decades or longer, efforts to improve health in resource-limited settings focused on fundamental public health interventions , including sanitation, immunization and access to basic primary care. These interventions are paramount to reducing preventable mortality and increasing life expectancy. Nevertheless, as low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience economic development, calls f...

The basic concept of collecting domestic liquid waste in water-borne sewer systems goes back more than 100 years and became in the last century the conventional approach to sanitation in urban areas. Over the years, these sewage disposal systems had to be successively upgraded by additional sewage treatment plants increasing investment, operating and maintenance costs. Although these convention...