BackgroundPublic sector austerity measures in many high-income countries mean that public health budgets are reducing year on year. To help inform the potential impact of these proposed ...disinvestments in public health, we set out to determine the return on investment (ROI) from a range of existing public health interventions.MethodsWe conducted systematic searches on all relevant databases (including MEDLINE; EMBASE; CINAHL; AMED; PubMed, Cochrane and Scopus) to identify studies that calculated a ROI or cost-benefit ratio (CBR) for public health interventions in high-income countries.ResultsWe identified 2957 titles, and included 52 studies. The median ROI for public health interventions was 14.3 to 1, and median CBR was 8.3. The median ROI for all 29 local public health interventions was 4.1 to 1, and median CBR was 10.3. Even larger benefits were reported in 28 studies analysing nationwide public health interventions; the median ROI was 27.2, and median CBR was 17.5.ConclusionsThis systematic review suggests that local and national public health interventions are highly cost-saving. Cuts to public health budgets in high income countries therefore represent a false economy, and are likely to generate billions of pounds of additional costs to health services and the wider economy.
There is a growing recognition of the need to effectively assess the social value of public health interventions through a wider, comprehensive approach, capturing their social, economic and ...environmental benefits, outcomes and impacts. Social Return on Investment (SROI) is a methodological approach which incorporates all three aspects for evaluating interventions. Mental health problems are one of the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide. This study aims to map existing evidence on the social value of mental health interventions that uses the SROI methodology.
A scoping evidence search was conducted on Medline, PubMed, Google Scholar and relevant gray literature, published in English between January 2000 and March 2021 to identify studies which capture the SROI of mental health interventions in high- and middle-income countries. Studies that reported mental health outcomes and an SROI ratio were included in this review. The quality of included studies was assessed using Krlev's 12-item quality assessment framework.
The search identified a total of 435 records; and 42 of them with varying quality met the study inclusion criteria. Most of the included studies (93%) were non-peer reviewed publicly available reports, predominantly conducted in the United Kingdom (88%); and majority (60%) of those studies were funded by charity/non-for-profit organizations. Out of 42 included studies, 22 were targeted toward individuals experiencing mental health problems and the remainder 20 were targeted to vulnerable groups or the general population to prevent, or reduce the risk of poor mental health. Eighty-one percent of included studies were graded as high quality studies based on Krlev's 12-item quality assessment framework. The reported SROI ratios of the included studies ranged from £0.79 to £28.00 for every pound invested.
This scoping review is a first of its kind to focus on SROI of mental health interventions, finding a good number of SROI studies that show a positive return on investment of the identified interventions. This review illustrates that SROI could be a useful tool and source of evidence to help inform policy and funding decisions for investment in mental health and wellbeing, as it accounts for the wider social, economic and environmental benefits of public health interventions. More SROI research in the area of public health is needed to expand the evidence base and develop further the methodology.
Throughout Wales and the world, health inequality remains a problem that is interconnected with a wider and complex social, economic and environmental dynamic. Subsequently, action to tackle ...inequality in health needs to take place at a structural level, acknowledging the constraints affecting an individual's (or community's) capability and opportunity to enable change. While the 'social determinants of health' is an established concept, fully understanding the composition of the health gap is dependent on capturing the relative contributions of a myriad of social, economic and environmental factors within a quantitative analysis.
The decomposition analysis sought to explain the differences in the prevalence of these outcomes in groups stratified by their ability to save at least £10 a month, whether they were in material deprivation, and the presence of a limiting long-standing illness, disability of infirmity. Responses to over 4,200 questions within the National Survey for Wales (
= 46,189; 2016-17 to 2019-20) were considered for analysis. Variables were included based on (1) their alignment to a World Health Organization (WHO) health equity framework ("Health Equity Status Report initiative") and (2) their ability to allow for stratification of the survey sample into distinct groups where considerable gaps in health outcomes existed. A pooled Blinder-Oaxaca model was used to analyse inequalities in self-reported health (fair/poor health, low mental well-being and low life satisfaction) and were stratified by the variables relating to financial security, material deprivation and disability status.
The prevalence of fair/poor health was 75% higher in those who were financially insecure and 95% higher in those who are materially deprived. Decomposition of the outcome revealed that just under half of the health gap was "explained" i.e., 45.5% when stratifying by the respondent's ability to save and 46% when stratifying by material deprivation status. Further analysis of the explained component showed that "Social/Human Capital" and "Income Security/Social Protection" determinants accounted the most for disparities observed; it also showed that "Health Services" determinants accounted the least. These findings were consistent across the majority of scenarios modeled.
The analysis not only quantified the significant health gaps that existed in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic but it has also shown what determinants of health were most influential. Understanding the factors most closely associated with disparities in health is key in identifying policy levers to reduce health inequalities and improve the health and well-being across populations.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for some 90% of premature UK deaths, most being preventable. However, the systems driving NCDs are complex. This complexity can make NCD prevention strategies ...difficult to develop and implement. We therefore aimed to explore with key stakeholders the upstream policies needed to prevent NCDs and related inequalities.
We developed a theory-based co-production process and used a mixed methods approach to engage with policy- and decision-makers from across the United Kingdom in a series of 4 workshops, to better understand and respond to the complex systems in which they act. The first and fourth workshops (London) aimed to better understand the public health policy agenda and effective methods for co-production, communication and dissemination. In workshops 2 and 3 (Liverpool and Glasgow), we used nominal group techniques to identify policy issues and equitable prevention strategies, we prioritised emerging policy options for NCD prevention, using the MoSCoW approach.
We engaged with 43 diverse stakeholders. They identified 'healthy environment' as an important emerging area. Reducing NCDs and inequalities was identified as important, underpinned by a frustration relating to the evidence/ policy gap. Evidence for NCD risk factor epidemiology was perceived as strong, the evidence underpinning the best NCD prevention policy interventions was considered patchier and more contested around the social, commercial and technological determinants of health. A comprehensive communications strategy was considered essential. The contribution of 'elite actors' (ministers, public sector leaders) was seen as key to the success of NCD prevention policies.
NCDs are generated by complex adaptive systems. Early engagement of diverse stakeholders in a theory-based co-production process can provide valuable context and relevance. Subsequent partnership-working will then be essential to develop, disseminate and implement the most effective NCD prevention strategies.
Forty years from the seminal work of Welsh GP Julian Tudor Hart on the Inverse Care Law, inequalities in health and healthcare remain deeply embedded in Wales. There is a wider gap (over 17 years) in ...healthy life expectancy between people living in the most and least deprived neighborhoods in Wales. This health inequality is reflected in additional healthcare use. In this study we estimate the cost of inequality associated with this additional healthcare use to the publicly funded National Health Service (NHS) in Wales.
We retrieved administrative data on all NHS inpatient admissions, outpatient and accident and emergency attendances in Wales between April 2018 and March 2019 from Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW). Hospital service use data were translated to costs using Healthcare Resource Group (HRG) and health service specific unit cost data and linked with area level mid-year population and deprivation indices in order to calculate the healthcare costs associated with socioeconomics deprivation.
Inequality in healthcare use between people from more and less deprived neighborhoods was associated with an additional cost of £322 million per year to the NHS in Wales, accounting for 8.7% of total NHS hospital expenditure in the country. Emergency inpatient admissions made up by far the largest component of this additional cost contributing £247.4 million, 77% of the total. There are also substantial costs of inequality for A&E attendances and outpatient visits, though not maternity services. Elective admissions overall have a negative cost of inequality, since among men aged 50-75 and women aged 60-70, elective utilization is actually negatively associated with deprivation.
There are wide inequalities in health and healthcare use between people living in more deprived neighborhoods and those living in less deprived neighborhoods in Wales. Tackling health inequality through a combination of health promotion and early intervention policies targeted toward deprived communities could yield substantial improvement in health and wellbeing, as well as savings for the Welsh NHS through reduced use of emergency hospital care.
Gifts to physicians from the pharmaceutical industry are receiving increased scrutiny, but no previous research has evaluated the effect of such gifts on trust. The goal of this study is to determine ...patient awareness of interactions between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry and to learn whether those interactions impact trust and the doctor-patient relationship.
A cross-sectional, self-administered 61-item survey was administered in five outpatient clinic waiting rooms at a US medical center in 2008. A total of 220 consecutive English-speaking adults were invited to participate. Main outcome measures included: (1) Awareness of physician relationship with the pharmaceutical industry, (2) Attitudes about physician acceptance of gifts, (3) Perceived impact of gifts on trust in physicians, and (4) Effect of gifts on intent to adhere to physician recommendations.
A total of 192 individuals participated (87% response rate). While most were unaware of particular interactions between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry (12% to 60%, depending on activity), approximately half (51%) wanted to know if their physician accepted gifts >$100. A majority indicated they would have less trust in their physician if they learned he or she: accepted gifts >$100 (59%) or went on industry-sponsored trips (58%) or sporting events (54%). Further, 25% said they would be less likely to take a prescribed medication if their physician had recently accepted a gift in return for listening to a pharmaceutical representative's presentation about that drug.
Accepting gifts from the pharmaceutical industry has implications for the doctor-patient relationship. Doing so can undermine trust and affect patients' intent to adhere to medical recommendations.
A petrographic, bulk chemical, and stable isotopic study was conducted in the Dalradian metasediments north of Stonehaven, Scotland. The study was carried out to (1) determine the sources and timing ...of metamorphic and post metamorphic fluid flow events, and to (2) investigate the effects of metamorphic fluid flow on the chemical, mineralogical, and stable isotopic systematics of these rocks. Multiple vein sets were classified for chemical and isotopic analysis based on structural relationships and petrographic observations. Samples of protolith, vein alteration selvage, and vein material from metamorphic quartz veins were taken along a ∼1.7 km traverse extending north from the Highland Boundary Fault (HBF), a major tectonic boundary with an embedded ophiolite complex, through the biotite, garnet, chloritoid, and staurolite zones. Textural and mineralogical observations show that two vein sets are distinguished by abundant growth of plagioclase and metamorphic index minerals, including biotite, garnet, chloritoid, and staurolite, within vein selvages. Major element, trace element, and REE abundances determined from bulk chemical data (44 samples) show systematic variation on a regional scale. These variations are indicative of fluid flow-induced mass transfer during regional metamorphism. Increase in Na/Zr and Ca/Zr is coupled with K/Zr decrease relative to the protolith composition in most vein selvages. Isotopic evidence for syn-metamorphic fluid flow is preserved in veins and in marble layers. The chemical and isotopic data (63 analyses of individual samples from 22 vein systems) suggest that the area adjacent to the HBF was a zone of focused flow of isotopically light, chemically reactive fluids likely derived from the HBF during regional metamorphism with the greatest flow found near the fault. Post-metamorphic carbonate minerals from syn-metamorphic, foliation-parallel quartz-chlorite-carbonate veins in the biotite and garnet zones provide isotopic and textural evidence that these veins were conduits for multiple generations (prograde and retrograde) of fluid flow. Vein carbonate minerals and pervasive carbonation of a series of post-metamorphic, Carboniferous-aged porphyry dikes and adjacent metapelitic schists are isotopically consistent with hydrothermal fluid flow driven by the intrusion of the dikes.
"Most financial planners want to talk to people who have already got money - wealthy people, small business people or those accessing their super," Mr Ducat said.
Unfortunately that business failed under the pressure of the global financial crisis, and Mr Idle moved his family back to their home at Cabarita where he started Balance Business Coaching. "Because ...neither of us had jobs, coming back I started up my own business," Mr Idle said.
We sought to determine the efficacy of a hospital-based, professionally-taught program emphasizing cardiovascular health. Similar programs are in existence throughout the country without ...documentation of their long-term benefits. Thirty-six hyperlipidemic individuals were treated as a control group or participated in one of two intensive educational interventions. The educational program was based on information obtained from focus group methodology to elicit attitudes about dietary change and learning style preferences. Behavioral changes in smoking, dietary salt and saturated fat intake, stress and tension, physical activity, and departure from ideal body weight were documented using health questionnaires and Lifestyle Risk Indices. At three months of follow-up, there was no change in serum lipids, total fat intake, or cardiovascular risk behavior in either the control or intervention group. We conclude that a one-day program, whether designed by the target population or experts, did not improve cardiovascular risk behaviors, suggesting that more innovative methods are required to address health behaviors in this high risk group.
PDF
