Socioeconomic inequality in the outcomes of a psychological intervention for depression for South Africans with a co-occurring chronic disease: A decomposition analysis.

Task-shared psychological interventions are effective for reducing the severity of depression symptoms, but differences in treatment outcome by socioeconomic status is uncertain. This study examines socioeconomic inequalities (SEI) in depression outcomes among people with HIV and/or diabetes who participated in a cluster randomised controlled trial in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The trial took place at 24 primary care clinics randomised to deliver a task-shared psychological intervention or treatment as usual (TAU).

PROTOCOL: The association between adverse childhood experiences and employment outcomes: Protocol for a systematic review.

There is growing evidence of a link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and health and economic outcomes. Previous systematic reviews synthesised evidence of the relationships between ACEs and various health and some economic outcomes such as healthcare costs and educational attainment. The primary aim of this systematic review is to synthesise the evidence on the relationship between ACEs and employment outcomes.

Social determinants of health and diabetes self-care management in South Africa.

Objective: Diabetes is an incapacitating condition affecting millions of people in South Africa. Maintaining optimal glycaemic control is crucial in preventing diabetes complications, highlighting the importance of diabetes self-care. This study examined how Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) are associated with self-care management practices in individuals with diabetes in South Africa using the framework developed by the Healthy People 2020 initiative.

Assessing Medical Students' Preferences for Rural Internships Using a Discrete Choice Experiment: A Case Study of Medical Students in a Public University in the Western Cape.

As new graduates are crucial in providing healthcare services in rural areas, this study aimed to identify and describe the rural facility attributes that attract medical students to apply for rural internships. A literature review and focus groups informed a discrete choice experiment conducted amongst graduating medical students at one public university in South Africa. One main effect using a mixed logit model and another main effect plus interaction model was estimated.

Is socioeconomic inequality in antenatal care coverage widening or reducing between- and within-socioeconomic groups? A case of 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Maternal health statistics have improved in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Still, progress remains slow in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets. Accelerating antenatal care (ANC) coverage is critical to improving maternal health outcomes.

Explaining socioeconomic disparities and gaps in the use of antenatal care services in 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Significant maternal and child deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) even with existing effective interventions. Antenatal care (ANC), for example, is an intervention that improves the health of pregnant women and their babies, but only 52% of pregnant women in SSA had the recommended minimum of four ANC visits between 2011 and 2016. While significant socioeconomic inequalities in ANC visits have been reported to the disadvantage of the poor, little is known about the depth of ANC coverage and associated inequalities.

Assessing medical impoverishment and associated factors in health care in Ethiopia.

Background: About 5% of the global population, predominantly in low- and middle-income countries, is forced into poverty because of out-of-pocket (OOP) health spending. In most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the share of OOP health spending in current health expenditure exceeds 35%, increasing the likelihood of impoverishment. In Ethiopia, OOP payments remained high at 37% of current health expenditure in 2016.

Payment Arrangements for Private Healthcare Purchasing Under Publicly Funded Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Issues and Implications.

This paper examines private healthcare purchasing under publicly financed health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to argue that the payment methods and rates applied to private and public health providers need careful attention to ensure equity, efficiency and quality in healthcare service provision. Specifically, public purchasers should develop a clear mechanism to establish justifiable payment rates for the purchase of private health services under publicly funded systems, using cost information and appropriate engagement with private health providers. In order to determine the validity of payment arrangements with private providers, clarification of the shared roles and responsibilities of public and private healthcare providers is required, including specification of types of services to be delivered by public and private providers, and the services for which public providers receive government budget and salaries above payments for other publicly funded services.

Eliciting preferences for social health insurance in Ethiopia: a discrete choice experiment.

As low-income countries are initiating health insurance schemes, Ethiopia is also planning to move away from out-of-pocket private payments to health insurance. The success of such a policy depends on understanding and predicting preferences of potential enrolees. This is because a scarce health care budget forces providers and consumers to make trade-offs between potential benefits within a health insurance.

Knowledge of and preferences for health insurance among formal sector employees in Addis Ababa: a qualitative study.

Background: The Ethiopian health system has been undergoing through reforms. One of the reforms stipulated in policy documents is the introduction of health insurance at national level. Having the majority of the population without any experience of health insurance, investigating preferences and knowledge of the essence of health insurance among potential enrolees will provide vital information for policy makers.