BACKGROUND Evidence from population-based studies on the economic burden imposed by chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) is still sparse in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our study aimed to fill this existing gap in knowledge by estimating both the household direct, indirect, and total costs incurred due to CNCDs and the economic burden households bear as a result of these costs in Malawi. METHODS ...

Using data on older individuals and couples, we estimate a collective model of household consumption of a variety of goods, showing how resources are shared between husbands and wives, and how this allocation is affected by retirement and health status. We identify the extent to which shared consumption of goods by older married couples reduces the costs of living together relative to living al...

background: air pollution in tehran, capital of iran is responsible for several diverse negative effects. it has been estab­lished that air pollution can affect human health. these health effects include increased hospital admissions due to the ex­acerba­tion of cardiac and respiratory diseases, as well as symptoms such as headache, cough, eye irritation, nausea, sputum and even death in the mo...

Childbirth can be a costly process for households in countries where financing arrangements are fragmented and fail to provide universal coverage. Seeking obstetric care results in immediate financial outlays as well as longer term economic and social consequences in terms of debt repayment and potential ongoing complications. This chapter reviews the evidence on the obstetric care costs faced ...

Improved understanding of the factors that influence malaria care seeking behaviour is necessary in order to enhance the effectiveness of current malaria control strategies. This paper empirically examines the factors that affect household choice of malaria treatment options in Ghana. The treatment options considered were choice of a public provider of health care, a private provider, purchase ...

Evidence on sanitation and hygiene program costs is used for many purposes. The few studies that report costs use top-down costing methods that are inaccurate and inappropriate. Community-led total sanitation (CLTS) is a participatory behavior-change approach that presents difficulties for cost analysis. We used implementation tracking and bottom-up, activity-based costing to assess the process...

Evidence about the mental health consequences of unaffordable housing is limited. The authors investigated whether people whose housing costs were more than 30% of their household income experienced a deterioration in their mental health (using the Short Form 36 Mental Component Summary), over and above other forms of financial stress. They hypothesized that associations would be limited to low...

This paper examines whether an intra-household externality prevents adoption of a technology with substantial implications for population health and the environment: improved cookstoves. Motivated by a model of intra-household decision-making, the experiment markets stoves to husbands or wives in turn at randomly varying prices. We find that women – who bear disproportionate cooking costs – hav...

BACKGROUND Although regional socioeconomic (SE) factors have been associated with worse health outcomes, prior studies have not addressed important confounders or work disability. METHODS A national sample of 59 360 workers' compensation (WC) cases to evaluate impact of regional SE factors on medical costs and length of disability (LOD) in occupational low back pain (LBP). RESULTS Lower nei...

For most people living in developing countries “health insurance” is unknown. It is generally assumed that, with the exception of the upper classes, people cannot afford such type of social protection. Poor people need protection against the financial consequences of illness. For most people living in developing countries illness still represents a permanent threat to their income earning capac...