Examining the characteristics of social and behavior change communication intervention costs in low- and middle-income countries: A hedonic method approach.

Understanding the costs of health interventions is critical for generating budgets, planning and managing programs, and conducting economic evaluations to use when allocating scarce resources. Here, we utilize techniques from the hedonic pricing literature to estimate the characteristics of the costs of social and behavior change communication (SBCC) interventions, which aim to improve health-seeking behaviors and important intermediate determinants to behavior change. SBCC encompasses a wide range of interventions including mass media (e.

Creating Reproductive Health Behavioral Profiles for Women of Reproductive Age in Niger Using Cross-Sectional Survey Data: A Latent Class Analysis.

To identify health behavioral profiles for women of reproductive age in Niger. We interviewed married women of reproductive age in Niger in April 2021 (N = 2,709). Latent class analysis based on sociodemographic and behavioral determinants was used to identify classes of women related to use of antenatal care, facility delivery, and modern family planning (FP) use.

Estimating the Cost of the Design, Production, and Dissemination of Social Media Videos for Social and Behavioral Change: Evidence From Merci Mon Héros in Niger and Côte d'Ivoire.

Merci Mon Héros (MMH) is a youth-led multi-media campaign in Francophone West Africa seeking to improve reproductive health and family planning outcomes using radio, television, social media, and community events. One component to this project is the development of a series of youth-driven videos created to encourage both youth and adults to break taboos by talking to each other about reproductive health and family planning. A costing study was conducted to capture costs associated with the design, production, and dissemination of 11 MMH videos (in French) on social media in Côte d'Ivoire and Niger.

Estimating private sector out-of-pocket expenditures on family planning commodities in low-and-middle-income countries.

Introduction: The role of the private sector in family planning (FP) is well studied; however, few efforts have been made to quantify the role of private out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures on FP commodities across low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). Calculating OOP expenditures is important to illuminate the magnitude of these contributions and to inform discussions on how financial burdens can be reduced.

Methods: Estimates of FP users and commodities consumed by women getting their FP methods from the private sector were made for 132 LMICs.

Using the Demographic Health Survey wealth index to create family planning market segments based on absolute income levels.

Family planning market segmentation approaches typically include analysis by wealth, particularly when considering whether individuals can afford out-of-pocket expenses in the private sector. Most commonly, this is done using the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) wealth index, which uses a approach by summing household asset questions and categorising respondents into five groups from poorest to wealthiest within a country. In addition, the use of measures, such as segmenting populations based on whether one lives below or above the International Poverty line, defined by the World Bank as US$1.

Family Planning in Zambia: An Investment Pillar for Economic Development.

Family planning represents a 'best buy' in global efforts to achieve sustainable development and attain improvements in sexual and reproductive health. By meeting contraceptive needs of all women, significant public health impact and development gains accrue. At the same time, governments face the complex challenge of allocating finite resources to competing priorities, each of which presents known and unknown challenges and opportunities.

Review of performance-based incentives in community-based family planning programmes.

Background: One strategy for improving family planning (FP) uptake at the community level is the use of performance-based incentives (PBIs), which offer community distributors financial incentives to recruit more users of FP. This article examines the use of PBIs in community-based FP programmes via a literature search of the peer-reviewed and grey literature conducted in April 2013.

Results: A total of 28 community-based FP programmes in 21 countries were identified as having used PBIs.

Equity monitoring for social marketing: use of wealth quintiles and the concentration index for decision making in HIV prevention, family planning, and malaria programs.

Background: The majority of social marketing programs are intended to reach the poor. It is therefore essential that social marketing organizations monitor the health equity of their programs and improve targeting when the poor are not being reached. Current measurement approaches are often insufficient for decision making because they fail to show a program's ability to reach the poor and demonstrate progress over time.

The impact of vouchers on the use and quality of health care in developing countries: a systematic review.

One approach to delivering healthcare in developing countries is through voucher programmes, where vouchers are distributed to a targeted population for free or subsidised health care. Using inclusion/exclusion criteria, a search of databases, key journals and websites review was conducted in October 2010. A narrative synthesis approach was taken to summarise and analyse five outcome categories: targeting, utilisation, cost efficiency, quality and health outcomes.

Adoption of health promotion practices in a cohort of U.S. physician organizations.

Background: Physician organizations such as medical groups and independent practice associations can play a vital role in health promotion through the adoption of effective health promotion practices such as health risk assessments, patient reminder systems, and health promotion education programs.

Purpose: To examine organizational changes in a cohort of physician organizations and changing health promotion practices.

Methods: Data for a cohort of 369 physician organizations in the U.

Systematic Review: the use of vouchers for reproductive health services in developing countries: systematic review.

Objectives: To identify where vouchers have been used for reproductive health (RH) services, to what extent RH voucher programmes have been evaluated, and whether the programmes have been effective.

Methods: A systematic search of the peer review and grey literature was conducted to identify RH voucher programmes and evaluation findings. Experts were consulted to verify RH voucher programme information and identify further programmes and studies not found in the literature search.

Adoption of policies to treat tobacco dependence in U.S. medical groups.

Background: There remains an ongoing need to reduce tobacco use in the U.S. Physician organizations, such as medical groups, can support healthcare providers to be more effective in their delivery of tobacco cessation by adopting practices recommended in the Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guideline for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence (PHS Guideline).

MDS-based state Medicaid reimbursement and the ADL-decline quality indicator.

Purpose: We examined the relationship between the quality indicator for decline in activities of daily living (ADL) and the use of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) for determining Medicaid skilled nursing facility reimbursement.

Design And Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using the 2004 National MDS Facility Quality Indicator reports as the dependent variable in a multilevel regression model. Our primary explanatory variable was a state-level binary variable distinguishing whether or not the state used an MDS-based Medicaid-reimbursement system in 2004.

Impact of Medicaid reimbursement on mental health quality indicators.

Objective: To examine the relationship between the use of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) for determining Medicaid reimbursement to nursing facilities and the MDS Quality Indicators examining nursing facility residents' mental health.

Data Sources: The 2004 National MDS facility Quality Indicator reports served as the dependent variables. Explanatory variables were based on the 2004 Online Survey Certification and Reporting system (OSCAR) and an examination of existing reports, a review of the State Medicaid Plans, and State Medicaid personnel.

Adoption of system strategies for tobacco cessation by state medicaid programs.

Background: The Public Health Service's Clinical Practice Guideline for treating tobacco dependence recommends 6 system-wide strategies for health administrators, insurers, and purchasers to support tobacco cessation.

Methods: A 24-question survey was sent to each state Medicaid program office in the fall of 2005, including questions to assess whether each state Medicaid program adopted 4 of the 6 system strategies most relevant to Medicaid contracting.

Results: The number of system strategies adopted by state Medicaid programs in 2005 ranged from 0 to 4 of the 4 strategies examined.

Knowledge of Medicaid coverage and effectiveness of smoking treatments.

Background: Tobacco dependence has enormous health and financial repercussions in the United States, particularly among Medicaid enrollees, where a disproportionate share of the population smokes (36% compared to 23% in the general population). This paper examines two factors associated with the use of tobacco-dependence treatments (TDTs) in the Medicaid population: knowledge of TDT coverage and perceived effectiveness of TDTs.

Methods: Medicaid-enrolled smokers and recent quitters in four areas in the United States with comprehensive coverage of TDTs were interviewed as part of a random-digit-dial telephone survey in September 2003.

State-mandated benefit review laws.

Objective: To determine which states have laws that require the review of mandated health insurance benefits and describe the various approaches states take in reviewing mandated benefits, as stated in the mandated benefit review (MBR) laws.

Data Sources: We queried online databases of the individual state statutes and reviewed the state statutes and state legislative agendas for all 50 states and Washington, DC to identify those states with active MBR laws as of September 2004.

Study Design: We reviewed the identified MBR laws to catalog their various components.

Medicaid coverage for tobacco-dependence treatments.

This paper presents an update on the availability of tobacco-dependence treatments in Medicaid benefit packages from 1998 to 2003 and discusses variation in states' approaches for addressing tobacco cessation. In 2003 thirty-seven states had coverage for at least one evidence-based treatment. Since 1998, thirteen Medicaid programs have added coverage for at least one, while five programs have expanded coverage of these treatments.

Endangered species? Not-for-profit hospitals face tax-exemption challenge.

The recent decision by the Illinois Department of Revenue to revoke the tax-exempt status of Provena Covenant Medical Center is just one indication of a larger trend in which states are increasingly questioning the exchange of social contributions by not-for-profit hospitals for favorable tax treatment. As yet, there is no consensus on how charity care or community benefits should be measured. Results of a study examining different states' specifications of charity care indicate that alternate definitions of charitable contributions have a material effect on the total dollars recognized as charitable contributions.