| 1. |
- Lazarus, Jeffrey V., et al.
(author)
-
A multinational Delphi consensus to end the COVID-19 public health threat
- 2022
-
In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Despite notable scientific and medical advances, broader political, socioeconomic and behavioural factors continue to undercut the response to the COVID-19 pandemic1,2. Here we convened, as part of this Delphi study, a diverse, multidisciplinary panel of 386 academic, health, non-governmental organization, government and other experts in COVID-19 response from 112 countries and territories to recommend specific actions to end this persistent global threat to public health. The panel developed a set of 41 consensus statements and 57 recommendations to governments, health systems, industry and other key stakeholders across six domains: communication; health systems; vaccination; prevention; treatment and care; and inequities. In the wake of nearly three years of fragmented global and national responses, it is instructive to note that three of the highest-ranked recommendations call for the adoption of whole-of-society and whole-of-government approaches1, while maintaining proven prevention measures using a vaccines-plus approach2 that employs a range of public health and financial support measures to complement vaccination. Other recommendations with at least 99% combined agreement advise governments and other stakeholders to improve communication, rebuild public trust and engage communities3 in the management of pandemic responses. The findings of the study, which have been further endorsed by 184 organizations globally, include points of unanimous agreement, as well as six recommendations with >5% disagreement, that provide health and social policy actions to address inadequacies in the pandemic response and help to bring this public health threat to an end.
|
|
| 2. |
- Harron, Katie, et al.
(author)
-
Challenges in administrative data linkage for research
- 2017
-
In: Big Data and Society. - : SAGE Publications. - 2053-9517. ; 4:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Linkage of population-based administrative data is a valuable tool for combining detailed individual-level information from different sources for research. While not a substitute for classical studies based on primary data collection, analyses of linked administrative data can answer questions that require large sample sizes or detailed data on hard-to-reach populations, and generate evidence with a high level of external validity and applicability for policy making. There are unique challenges in the appropriate research use of linked administrative data, for example with respect to bias from linkage errors where records cannot be linked or are linked together incorrectly. For confidentiality and other reasons, the separation of data linkage processes and analysis of linked data is generally regarded as best practice. However, the black box' of data linkage can make it difficult for researchers to judge the reliability of the resulting linked data for their required purposes. This article aims to provide an overview of challenges in linking administrative data for research. We aim to increase understanding of the implications of (i) the data linkage environment and privacy preservation; (ii) the linkage process itself (including data preparation, and deterministic and probabilistic linkage methods) and (iii) linkage quality and potential bias in linked data. We draw on examples from a number of countries to illustrate a range of approaches for data linkage in different contexts.
|
|
| 3. |
- Juárez, Sol, et al.
(author)
-
A systematic review of evaluations of the health impacts of migration-oriented public policies
- 2018
-
In: European Journal of Public Health. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1101-1262 .- 1464-360X. ; 28, s. 24-24
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background:Government policies, including those outside healthcare, fundamentally shape both migration and health. Policies oriented toward migration begin with management of the arrival process (e.g. entry criteria), through to resettlement (e.g. dispersal) and short- and long-term integration (e.g. language classes and anti-discriminatory efforts). We aimed to systematically review the available evaluation evidence on the impacts of migration and integration policies at the supranational, national, and local levels on the health of international migrants, adopting a ‘health in all policies’ perspective.Methods:We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from January 2000 to September 2017 for quantitative or mixed-method studies which compared the health impacts of public policies to that of a counterfactual. We excluded all health policies, defined as those primarily introduced to improve health. Two reviewers independently conducted screening and data extraction. Policies were grouped by migration stage and sector for narrative synthesis. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to estimate the effectiveness of specific policies.Results:Out of 31,528 hits, 296 full texts were included for screening. Preliminary narrative synthesis shows a predominance of US and Australian studies, with few studies in low- and middle-income settings. Greater enforcement of immigration laws may adversely impact health (e.g. implementation of US Section 287g has been linked to increased childhood food poverty and reduced healthcare access), while provision of legal protection for existing illegal immigrants (e.g. the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) has been associated with improved health.Conclusions:Few studies evaluate the impact of migration policies on health beyond those specifically oriented towards improving health. Preliminary findings suggest health benefits of legal protection, whereas greater enforcement of immigration law undermines healthcare access.Main message:Public policies outside of the health sector can substantially impact the health of international migrants, yet remain under-investigated in most of the world.
|
|
| 4. |
- Juárez, Sol Pía, et al.
(author)
-
Effects of non-health-targeted policies on migrant health : a systematic review and meta-analysis
- 2019
-
In: The Lancet Global Health. - 2214-109X. ; 7:4, s. e420-e435
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundGovernment policies can strongly influence migrants' health. Using a Health in All Policies approach, we systematically reviewed evidence on the impact of public policies outside of the health-care system on migrant health.MethodsWe searched the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from Jan 1, 2000, to Sept 1, 2017, for quantitative studies comparing the health effects of non-health-targeted public policies on migrants with those on a relevant comparison population. We searched for articles written in English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, French, Spanish, or Portuguese. Qualitative studies and grey literature were excluded. We evaluated policy effects by migration stage (entry, integration, and exit) and by health outcome using narrative synthesis (all included studies) and random-effects meta-analysis (all studies whose results were amenable to statistical pooling). We summarised meta-analysis outcomes as standardised mean difference (SMD, 95% CI) or odds ratio (OR, 95% CI). To assess certainty, we created tables containing a summary of the findings according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation. Our study was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42017076104.FindingsWe identified 43 243 potentially eligible records. 46 articles were narratively synthesised and 19 contributed to the meta-analysis. All studies were published in high-income countries and examined policies of entry (nine articles) and integration (37 articles). Restrictive entry policies (eg, temporary visa status, detention) were associated with poor mental health (SMD 0·44, 95% CI 0·13–0·75; I2=92·1%). In the integration phase, restrictive policies in general, and specifically regarding welfare eligibility and documentation requirements, were found to increase odds of poor self-rated health (OR 1·67, 95% CI 1·35–1·98; I2=82·0%) and mortality (1·38, 1·10–1·65; I2=98·9%). Restricted eligibility for welfare support decreased the odds of general health-care service use (0·92, 0·85–0·98; I2=0·0%), but did not reduce public health insurance coverage (0·89, 0·71–1·07; I2=99·4%), nor markedly affect proportions of people without health insurance (1·06, 0·90–1·21; I2=54·9%).InterpretationRestrictive entry and integration policies are linked to poor migrant health outcomes in high-income countries. Efforts to improve the health of migrants would benefit from adopting a Health in All Policies perspective.
|
|
| 5. |
- Martins, Leila Droprinchinski, et al.
(author)
-
Extreme value analysis of air pollution data and their comparison between two large urban regions of South America
- 2017
-
In: Weather and Climate Extremes. - : Elsevier BV. - 2212-0947. ; 18, s. 44-54
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sixteen years of hourly atmospheric pollutant data (1996-2011) in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP), and seven years (2005-2011) of data measured in the Metropolitan Area of Rio de Janeiro (MARJ), were analyzed in order to study the extreme pollution events and their return period. In addition, the objective was to compare the air quality between the two largest Brazilian urban areas and provide information for decision makers, government agencies and civil society. Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) and Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD) were applied to investigate the behavior of pollutants in these two regions. Although GEV and GPD are different approaches, they presented similar results. The probability of higher concentrations for CO, NO, NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 was more frequent during the winter, and O3 episodes occur most frequently during summer in the MASP. On the other hand, there is no seasonally defined behavior in MARJ for pollutants, with O3 presenting the shortest return period for high concentrations. In general, Ibirapuera and Campos Elísios stations present the highest probabilities of extreme events with high concentrations in MASP and MARJ, respectively. When the regions are compared, MASP presented higher probabilities of extreme events for all analyzed pollutants, except for NO; while O3 and PM2.5 are those with most frequent probabilities of presenting extreme episodes, in comparison other pollutants.
|
|
