ArticleJournal of health economics2021
Health screening for emerging non-communicable disease burdens among the global poor: Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa.
Article in Journal of health economics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Does Engagement in HIV Care Affect Screening, Diagnosis, and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.AIDS and behavior · 2024Pooled it
- Trial
- A global scoping review of interventions to increase participation in screening programmes for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer between 2016 and 2025.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Perspectives on App-Assisted Self-Testing Using Rapid Diagnostic Tests Among Community Members, Health Care Providers, and Public Health Leaders in Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia: Qualitative Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Prevalence and determinants of hypertension in rwanda: a secondary data analysis using the WHO STEPS survey 2022.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Does home-based screening improve hypertension diagnosis, treatment and control? A regression discontinuity analysis in urban India.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- Determinants of chronic non-communicable disease screening among adults in Ghana.Health promotion international · 2025Article
- Surviving Bad News: Health Information Without Treatment Options.American economic review. Insights · 2025Article
- Role of eye screening camp in detecting systemic diseases and promoting health-seeking behaviour in the rural population - A multi-centre study.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2025Article
- Article
- The Africa non-communicable diseases (NCD) Open Lab: Impact of a portfolio of clinical studies to deepen the understanding of NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa.Journal of global health · 2024Article
- Hypertension Related Co-Morbidities and Complications in Women of Sub-Saharan Africa: A Brief Review.Circulation research · 2024Review
- Associations of work characteristics with obesity, behavioral risk factors and NCDs in Bangkok, Thailand.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Effectiveness of the Hypertension Screening Corner in Enhancing the Cascade of Care at Primary Healthcare Center Level: Evidence from Zambezia, Mozambique.Global heart · 2024Article
- Leisure sedentary time and elevated blood pressure: evidence from the statutory retirement policy.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Tax and noncommunicable diseases attributable to tobacco and alcohol consumption in 5 Sub-Saharan African countries.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Resilience, Accelerated Aging and Persistently Poor Health: Diverse Trajectories of Health in Malawi.Population and development review · 2023Article
- Barker's Hypothesis Among the Global Poor: Positive Long-Term Cardiovascular Effects of in Utero Famine Exposure.Demography · 2023Article
- Cognition and Cognitive Changes in a Low-Income Sub-Saharan African Aging Population.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2023Article
- Non-communicable Diseases Week: Best Practices in Addressing the NCDs Burden from Tanzania.Annals of global health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Evidence for the effectiveness of population health screenings to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases in low-income countries remains very limited. We investigate the sustained effects of a health screening in Malawi where individuals received a referral letter if they had elevated blood pressure. Using a regression discontinuity design and a matching estimator, we find that receiving a referral letter reduced blood pressure and the probability of being hypertensive by about 22 percentage points four years later. These lasting effects are explained by a 20 percentage points increase in the probability of being diagnosed with hypertension. There is also evidence of an increase in the uptake of medication, while we do not identify improvements in hypertension-related knowledge or risk behaviors. On the contrary, we find an increase in sugar intake and a decrease in physical activity both of which are considered risky behaviors in Western contexts. The health screening had some positive effects on mental health. Overall, this study suggests that population-based hypertension screening interventions are an effective tool to improve health in low-income contexts.
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Registered trials
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.