ABSTRACT
Objectives@#Considering the importance of social determinants of health (SDHs) in promoting the health of residents of informal settlements and their diversity, abundance, and breadth, this study aimed to identify, measure, and rank SDHs for health promotion interventions targeting informal settlement residents in a metropolitan area in Iran. @*Methods@#Using a hybrid method, this study was conducted in 3 phases from 2019 to 2020. SDHs were identified by reviewing studies and using the Delphi method. To examine the SDHs among informal settlement residents, a cross-sectional analysis was conducted using researcher-made questionnaires. Multilayer perceptron analysis using an artificial neural network was used to rank the SDHs by priority. @*Results@#Of the 96 determinants identified in the first phase of the study, 43 were examined, and 15 were identified as high-priority SDHs for use in health-promotion interventions for informal settlement residents in the study area. They included individual health literacy, nutrition, occupational factors, housing-related factors, and access to public resources. @*Conclusions@#Since identifying and addressing SDHs could improve health justice and mitigate the poor health status of settlement residents, ranking these determinants by priority using artificial intelligence will enable policymakers to improve the health of settlement residents through interventions targeting the most important SDHs.
ABSTRACT
Objectives@#Throughout history, societies have been impacted by inequality. Many studies have been conducted on the topic more broadly, but only a few have investigated inequalities in out-of-pocket health payments (OHP). This study measures OHP inequality trends among the Iranian households. @*Methods@#This study used data from the Iranian Statistics Center on Iranian household income and expenditures. The analysis included a total of 995 300 households during the 36 years from 1984 to 2019. The Gini coefficient, Atkinson index, and Theil index were calculated for Iranian OHP. @*Results@#Average Iranian household OHP increased from 33 US dollar (USD) in 1984 to 47 USD in 2019. During this 36-year span, the average±standard deviation Gini coefficient for OHP was 0.73±0.04, and the Atkinson and Theil indexes were 0.68±0.05 and 1.14±0.29, respectively. The Gini coefficients for the subcategories of OHP of outpatient diagnostic services, medical assistant accessories, hospital inpatient services, and addiction cessation were 0.70, 0.61, 0.84, and 0.64, respectively. @*Conclusions@#In this study, we scrutinized trends of inequality in the OHP of Iranian households. Inequality in OHP decreased slightly over the past four decades. An analysis of trends among different subgroups revealed that affluent households, such as households with insurance coverage and households in higher income deciles, experienced higher inequality. Therefore, lower inequality in health care expenditures may be related to restricted access to health care services in Iran.
ABSTRACT
Objectives@#Given the importance of social determinants of health in promoting the health of slum residents, this study was conducted with the aim of identifying the main dimensions and components of these determinants. @*Methods@#This scoping review study was conducted according to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews). A comprehensive search was performed of PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science for articles conducted from 2010 to the end of 2019. Studies were selected based on inclusion criteria, with a special focus on studies dealing with the social determinants of physical and mental health or illness. @*Results@#Thirty-three articles were selected to extract information on the social determinants of health. After reviewing the articles,7 main dimensions (housing, socioeconomic status of the family, nutrition, neighborhood characteristics, social support and social capital, occupational factors, and health behaviors) and 87 components were extracted as social determinants of health among slum dwellers. @*Conclusions@#This framework could be used by planners, managers, and policy-makers when making decisions affecting the health of these settlements’ residents due to the common characteristics of slums around the world, especially in developing countries.
ABSTRACT
Objectives@#Given the importance of social determinants of health in promoting the health of slum residents, this study was conducted with the aim of identifying the main dimensions and components of these determinants. @*Methods@#This scoping review study was conducted according to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews). A comprehensive search was performed of PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science for articles conducted from 2010 to the end of 2019. Studies were selected based on inclusion criteria, with a special focus on studies dealing with the social determinants of physical and mental health or illness. @*Results@#Thirty-three articles were selected to extract information on the social determinants of health. After reviewing the articles,7 main dimensions (housing, socioeconomic status of the family, nutrition, neighborhood characteristics, social support and social capital, occupational factors, and health behaviors) and 87 components were extracted as social determinants of health among slum dwellers. @*Conclusions@#This framework could be used by planners, managers, and policy-makers when making decisions affecting the health of these settlements’ residents due to the common characteristics of slums around the world, especially in developing countries.
ABSTRACT
Objectives@#Our aim was to answer the following questions: (1) Can mental health variance be partitioned to individual and higher levels (e.g., neighborhood and district); (2) How much (as a percentage) do individual-level determinants explain the variability of mental health at the individual-level; and (3) How much do determinants at the neighborhood- or district-level explain the variability of mental health at the neighborhood- or district-level? @*Methods@#We used raw data from the second round of the Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool in Tehran (in 2012-2013, n=34 700 samples nested in 368 neighborhoods nested in 22 districts) and the results of the official report of Tehran’s Center of Studies and Planning (in 2012-2013, n=22 districts). Multilevel linear regression models were used to answer the study questions. @*Results@#Approximately 40% of Tehran residents provided responses suggestive of having mental health disorders (30-52%). According to estimates of residual variance, 7% of mental health variance was determined to be at the neighborhood-level and 93% at the individual-level. Approximately 21% of mental health variance at the individual-level and 49% of the remaining mental health variance at the neighborhood-level were determined by determinants at the individual-level and neighborhood-level, respectively. @*Conclusions@#If we want to make the most effective decisions about the determinants of mental health, in addition to considering the therapeutic perspective, we should have a systemic or contextual view of the determinants of mental health.