Do targeted intergovernmental fiscal transfers improve health outcomes? Evidence from Kenyan decentralization using the difference-in-differences technique.

Background: As envisioned by the 2010 Constitution, Kenya implemented a devolved system of government in March 2013, setting up 47 counties and a corresponding number of local governments. These counties differed in their levels of development. While counties such as Nairobi and Kiambu led in social and economic indicators, others such as Turkana, Mandera and Wajir were at the bottom of the list.

Promoting Influenza Vaccination Uptake Among Chinese Older Adults Based on Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model and Conditional Economic Incentive: Protocol for Randomized Controlled Trial.

: Influenza poses a substantial health burden, especially among older adults in China. While vaccination is one of the most effective preventions, influenza vaccine uptake rates among Chinese older adults remain low. This study examines the individual and combined effects of behavioral interventions based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model and economic incentives in promoting influenza vaccine uptake among older adults living in China.

Food insecurity is associated with greater difficulty accessing care among people living with HIV with or without comorbid non-communicable diseases in western Kenya.

Introduction: The relationship between food insecurity and access to healthcare in low-resource settings remains unclear. Some studies find that food insecurity is a barrier to accessing care, while others report that food insecurity is associated with a greater need for care, leading to more care utilisation. We use data from the Harambee study in western Kenya to assess the association between food insecurity and difficulty accessing care among people living with HIV (PLWH) with or without comorbid non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Gait asymmetry assessment through Eigen-Gait components on dissimilarity maps.

Motor impairments caused by neurological diseases have an important impact on gait, particularly on the coordination between left and right lower limbs. Deviation from normal gait is often measured to assess this impact on gross motor functions, and to monitor the progress of patients during rehabilitation. The concept of gait dissimilarity map is introduced to represent bilateral raw gait signals, while accounting for their respective spatiotemporal dynamics.

A novel gait quality measure for characterizing pathological gait based on Hidden Markov Models.

This study addresses the characterization of normal gait and pathological deviations caused by neurological diseases. We focus on the angular knee kinematics in the sagittal plane and we propose to exploit Hidden Markov Models to build a statistical model of normal gait. Such model provides a log-likelihood score that quantifies gait quality.