Accompanying the call for increased evidence-based policy the developed world is implementing more longitudinal panel studies which periodically gather information about the same people over a number of years. Panel studies distinguish between transitory and persistent states (e.g. poverty,...

In 2005, in recognition of the role of social factors in increasing health inequities, the World Health Organisation established the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. South Africa is among the most unequal societies in the world. It faces serious public health challenges,...

Si bien en el Perú el índice de matrícula en las escuelas primarias es muy alto, más de la mitad de los niños que asisten a la escuela primaria se encuentra uno o más grados por debajo de la media para su edad. Además, las evaluaciones han demostrado que, si se someten a prueba, los...

The ability of households to diversify their income sources is strongly related to their capacity to cope in times of pressure, such as during economic crises. This is particularly so among the poor, who often do not have adequate resources on which to draw when under such pressures. Households...

La salud del niño, en particular su estado nutricional de largo plazo, está estrechamente relacionado con las características de las familias, las comunidades y los niños, incluida la educación de la madre y el acceso a los servicios públicos. Ahora bien, el acceso a los servicios...

Los hogares requieren diversificar sus fuentes de ingreso durante crisis económicas, pero la población pobre suele carecer de recursos para afrontar estas situaciones de emergencia. Peor aún es el caso de los hogares con un recién nacido, puesto que tienen dos restricciones más...

Many developing countries are trying to improve the routine collection of health information by strengthening surveys, censuses, and registration systems. At the international level, too, efforts are underway to provide information on health and health interventions, including statistical...

A study of 883 mothers with children aged 0-9 years was undertaken in Kilifi district on the Kenyan coast in order to examine child malaria treatment practices. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to investigate: whether complications of childhood malaria were recognized;...

Irrational prescribing and over-prescription is a world-wide problem. Prescribers often cite patient demand as one of the main reasons why they over-prescribe, but the degree to which this is so is unknown. This article describes a study to test the hypothesis that patient demand causes...

The role of social capital in promoting health is now widely debated within international public health. In relation to HIV, the results of previous observational and cross-sectional studies have been mixed. In some settings it has been suggested that high levels of social capital and community...