Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24362640›Full record

ArticleHealth policy and planning2015

Policymaking 'under the radar': a case study of pesticide regulation to prevent intentional poisoning in Sri Lanka.

Melissa Pearson, Anthony B Zwi, Nicholas A Buckley, Gamini Manuweera, Ravindra Fernando, Andrew H Dawson, Duncan McDuie-Ra

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Health policy and planning, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  7. Article
  8. Trends in method-specific suicide in Brazil from 2000 to 2017.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2021
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  12. Review
  13. Suicide Overall and Suicide by Pesticide Rates among South Korean Workers: A 15-Year Population-Based Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019
    Article
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  17. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Melissa PearsonSouth Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Randwick NSW, 2502 Australia, Health, Rights and Development (HEARD@UNSW), School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Prince of Wales Hospital Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, Scientific Support Branch, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, United Nations Environment Programme, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and NSW Poisons Information Service, Westmead Childrens Hospital, Sydney, Australia and School of Social Sciences and International Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia melissa@sactrc.org.
Anthony B ZwiSouth Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Randwick NSW, 2502 Australia, Health, Rights and Development (HEARD@UNSW), School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Prince of Wales Hospital Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, Scientific Support Branch, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, United Nations Environment Programme, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and NSW Poisons Information Service, Westmead Childrens Hospital, Sydney, Australia and School of Social Sciences and International Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Nicholas A BuckleySouth Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Randwick NSW, 2502 Australia, Health, Rights and Development (HEARD@UNSW), School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Prince of Wales Hospital Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, Scientific Support Branch, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, United Nations Environment Programme, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and NSW Poisons Information Service, Westmead Childrens Hospital, Sydney, Australia and School of Social Sciences and International Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Gamini ManuweeraSouth Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Randwick NSW, 2502 Australia, Health, Rights and Development (HEARD@UNSW), School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Prince of Wales Hospital Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, Scientific Support Branch, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, United Nations Environment Programme, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and NSW Poisons Information Service, Westmead Childrens Hospital, Sydney, Australia and School of Social Sciences and International Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Ravindra FernandoSouth Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Randwick NSW, 2502 Australia, Health, Rights and Development (HEARD@UNSW), School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Prince of Wales Hospital Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, Scientific Support Branch, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, United Nations Environment Programme, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and NSW Poisons Information Service, Westmead Childrens Hospital, Sydney, Australia and School of Social Sciences and International Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Andrew H DawsonSouth Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Randwick NSW, 2502 Australia, Health, Rights and Development (HEARD@UNSW), School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Prince of Wales Hospital Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, Scientific Support Branch, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, United Nations Environment Programme, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and NSW Poisons Information Service, Westmead Childrens Hospital, Sydney, Australia and School of Social Sciences and International Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Duncan McDuie-RaSouth Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Randwick NSW, 2502 Australia, Health, Rights and Development (HEARD@UNSW), School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Prince of Wales Hospital Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia, Scientific Support Branch, Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, United Nations Environment Programme, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka, South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, University of Peradeniya Sri Lanka and NSW Poisons Information Service, Westmead Childrens Hospital, Sydney, Australia and School of Social Sciences and International Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
UNSW Sydney · AUPrince of Wales Hospital · AUSouth Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration · LK

Funding

Wellcome Trust GR071669MA
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSuicide in Sri Lanka is a major public health problem and in 1995 the country had one of the highest rates of suicide worldwide. Since then reductions in overall suicide rates have been largely attributed to efforts to regulate a range of pesticides. The evolution, context, events and implementation of the key policy decisions around regulation are examined.

methodsThis study was undertaken as part of a broader analysis of policy in two parts-an explanatory case study and stakeholder analysis. This article describes the explanatory case study that included an historical narrative and in-depth interviews.

resultsA timeline and chronology of policy actions and influence were derived from interview and document data. Fourteen key informants were interviewed and four distinct policy phases were identified. The early stages of pesticide regulation were dominated by political and economic considerations and strongly influenced by external factors. The second phase was marked by a period of local institution building, the engagement of local stakeholders, and expanded links between health and agriculture. During the third phase the problem of self-poisoning dominated the policy agenda and closer links between stakeholders, evidence and policymaking developed. The fourth and most recent phase was characterized by strong local capacity for policymaking, informed by evidence, developed in collaboration with a powerful network of stakeholders, including international researchers.

conclusionsThe policy response to extremely high rates of suicide from intentional poisoning with pesticides shows a unique and successful example of policymaking to prevent suicide. It also highlights policy action taking place 'under the radar', thus avoiding policy inertia often associated with reforms in lower and middle income countries.

Indexed as

Policy MakingSuicide PreventionAdministrative PersonnelAgricultureHumansInterviews as TopicPesticidesPoliticsSri LankaSuicidePesticidesagriculturedeveloping countriesevidence-based policyhealth policypesticidespolicy analysispreventionSri LankaSuicide

Identifiers

PMID24362640
PMCPMC4287191
OpenAlexW2169591920

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.