Did socioeconomic inequalities in overweight and obesity in South African women of childbearing age improve between 1998 and 2016? A decomposition analysis.

Overweight and obesity in adult women contribute to deaths and disability from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and obesity-related health problems in their offspring. Globally, overweight and obesity prevalence among women of childbearing age (WCBA) has increased, but associated socioeconomic inequality remains unclear. This study, therefore, assesses the changing patterns in the socioeconomic inequality in overweight and obesity among South African non-pregnant WCBA between 1998 and 2016.

Explaining socioeconomic inequality in food consumption patterns among households with women of childbearing age in South Africa.

The changing food environment shifts peoples' eating behaviour toward unhealthy food, including ultra-processed food (UPF), leading to detrimental health outcomes like obesity. This study examines changes in socioeconomic inequalities in food consumption spending between 2005/06 and 2010/11 in South African households with women of childbearing age (15 to 49) (WCBA). Data come from the 2005/06 and 2010/11 Income and Expenditure Surveys.

A qualitative evaluation of stakeholder perspectives on sustainable financing strategies for 'priority' adolescent sexual and reproductive health interventions in Ghana.

Background: Adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) interventions are underfunded in Ghana. We explored stakeholder perspectives on innovative and sustainable financing strategies for priority ASRH interventions in Ghana.

Methods: Using qualitative design, we interviewed 36 key informants to evaluate sustainable financing sources for ASRH interventions in Ghana.

Financial protection in health revisited: Is catastrophic health spending underestimated for service- or disease-specific analysis?

Economists originally developed methods to assess financial catastrophe using total or aggregate out-of-pocket health spending. Aggregate out-of-pocket health spending is financially catastrophic when it exceeds a fixed proportion (i.e.

Income inequality and pandemics: insights from HIV/AIDS and COVID-19-a multicountry observational study.

Objectives: Assess the relationship between income inequality and HIV incidence, AIDS mortality and COVID-19 mortality.

Design: Multicountry observational study.

Setting: 217 countries for HIV/AIDS analysis, 151 countries for COVID-19 analysis.

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.

Socioeconomic Inequity in the Screening and Treatment of Hypertension in Kenya: Evidence From a National Survey.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 50% of hospitalisations and 55% of inpatient deaths in Kenya. Hypertension is one of the major NCDs in Kenya. Equitable access and utilisation of screening and treatment interventions are critical for reducing the burden of hypertension.

Socioeconomic inequalities in intergenerational overweight and obesity transmission from mothers to offsprings in South Africa.

This study assesses socioeconomic inequality in the intergenerational transmission of overweight and obesity from mothers to offsprings in South Africa, including the factors contributing to inequality. Data were drawn from the 2017 National Income Dynamic Study, which collected anthropometric and socioeconomic information. Non-pregnant mothers aged 15-49 years and their offsprings 0-14 years were included in the analysis.

Characterizing key misconceptions of equity in health financing for universal health coverage.

Fairness or equity in health financing is critical to ensuring universal health coverage (UHC). While equity in health financing is generally about financing health services according to ability-to-pay, misconceptions exist among policymakers, decision-makers and some researchers about what constitutes financing health services according to ability-to-pay or an equitably financed health system. This commentary characterizes three misconceptions of equitable health financing-(1) the misconception of fair contribution, (2) the pro-poor misconception and (3) the misconception of cross-subsidization.

A short note revisiting the concentration index: Does the normalization of the concentration index matter?

The concentration index, including its normalization, is prominently used to assess socioeconomic inequalities in health and health care. Wagstaff's and Erreygers' normalizations or corrections of the standard concentration index are the most suggested approaches when analyzing binary health variables encountered in many health economics and health services research. In empirical applications of the corrected or normalized concentration indices, researchers interpret them similarly to the standard concentration index, which may be problematic as this ignores their underlying behaviors.

Overweight and obesity in non-pregnant women of childbearing age in South Africa: subgroup regression analyses of survey data from 1998 to 2017.

Background: Overweight and obesity in adults are increasing globally and in South Africa (SA), contributing substantially to deaths and disability from non-communicable diseases. Compared to men, women suffer a disproportionate burden of obesity, which adversely affects their health and that of their offspring. This study assessed the changing patterns in prevalence and determinants of overweight and obesity among non-pregnant women in SA aged 15 to 49 years (women of childbearing age (WCBA)) between 1998 and 2017.

Decomposing socio-economic inequalities in antenatal care utilisation in 12 Southern African Development Community countries.

Although many countries are making progress towards achieving the global sustainable development goals, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) lags behind. SSA bears a relatively higher burden of maternal morbidity and mortality than other regions despite existing cost-effective interventions. This paper assesses antenatal care (ANC) service utilisation among women in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, one of the four SSA regions.

Hospital delivery and neonatal mortality in 37 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: An ecological study.

Background: Widespread increases in facility delivery have not substantially reduced neonatal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia over the past 2 decades. This may be due to poor quality care available in widely used primary care clinics. In this study, we examine the association between hospital delivery and neonatal mortality.

Systematic Review of the Economic Evaluation of Returning Incidental Findings in Genomic Research.

Discussions regarding who and how incidental findings (IFs) should be returned and the ethics behind returning IFs have increased dramatically over the years. However, information on the cost and benefits of returning IFs to patients remains scanty. This study systematically reviews the economic evaluation of returning IFs in genomic sequencing.

Assessing Intertemporal Socioeconomic Inequalities in Alcohol Consumption in South Africa.

This paper assesses changes in the socioeconomic inequality in alcohol consumption by exploring whether alcohol consumption (current and binge drinkers) is more prevalent among the wealthier (pro-rich) or poorer (pro-poor) group over time. Data come from the 2008, 2010/11, 2012, and 2014/15 waves of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS). Various equity stratifiers (sex, age, race, and rural/urban) are used to analyze the prevalence of alcohol consumption and to investigate differences in socioeconomic inequalities.

The Impact of Financing Health Services on Income Inequality in an Unequal Society: The Case of South Africa.

Background: Equitable health financing is crucial to attaining universal health coverage (UHC). Health financing, a major focus of the National Health Insurance in South Africa, can potentially affect income distribution.

Objective: This paper assesses the impact of financing health services on income inequality (i.

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 financial protection in health: Does the choice of poverty line matter?

Financial protection in health is an essential aspect of the universal health coverage discourse. It is about ensuring that paying for health services does not affect the ability of households and individuals to afford necessities. A well-known way to assess financial protection is whether or not people are pushed into-or further into-poverty by paying out-of-pocket for health services.

Explaining changes in wealth inequalities in child health: The case of stunting and wasting in Nigeria.

Background: Malnutrition is a major cause of child death, and many children suffer from acute and chronic malnutrition. Nigeria has the second-highest burden of stunting globally and a higher-than-average child wasting prevalence. Moreover, there is substantial spatial variation in the prevalence of stunting and wasting in Nigeria.

Correction to: What has been the progress in addressing financial risk in Uganda? Analysis of catastrophe and impoverishment due to health payments.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

What has been the progress in addressing financial risk in Uganda? Analysis of catastrophe and impoverishment due to health payments.

Background: Monitoring progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) requires an assessment of progress in coverage of health services and protection of households from the impact of direct out-of-pocket payments (i.e. financial risk protection).