Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33402411›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2021

Impact of microfinance health interventions on health-related outcomes among female informal workers in Pakistan: a retrospective quasi-experimental study.

Sara Rizvi Jafree, Rubeena Zakar, Humna Ahsan, Mudasir Mustafa, Florian Fischer

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.1field-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

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
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

5 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Sara Rizvi JafreeDepartment of Sociology, Forman Christian College, Lahore, Pakistan.
Rubeena ZakarDepartment of Public Health, Institute of Social and Cultural Studies, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.
Humna AhsanDepartment of Economics, Forman Christian College, Lahore, Pakistan.
Mudasir MustafaDepartment of Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4870-9014
Florian FischerInstitute of Public Health, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany florian.fischer1@charite.de.ORCID 0000-0002-4388-1245
Forman Christian College · PKUniversity of Applied Sciences Ravensburg-Weingarten · DEUniversity of Lahore · PKUtah State University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe purpose of this study is to assess the impact of microfinance health interventions (health insurance and health-awareness programmes) on health-related outcomes among female informal workers in Pakistan.

designWe conducted a retrospective, quasi-experimental study among a total of 442 female borrowers from seven microfinance providers (MFPs) across four provinces of Pakistan in 2018. A standardised tool was used for data collection. Probit regression was used to identify the probability of female borrowers gaining improvements in health outcomes based on their sociodemographic characteristics. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to assess the overall impact of health interventions. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Four health-related outcomes reported by the women were used: perception of good health overall, ability to visit a general practitioner, ability to purchase prescribed medicine and intake of multivitamins.

resultsWe found that women receiving health interventions had a greater probability of better health outcomes when they were from Punjab province, borrowing in groups and attending monthly meetings at MFPs. Even with a small loan amount, all four health-related outcomes were significantly associated with receiving health insurance and health-awareness programmes. PSM results show a greater likelihood of overall perceived good health (nearest neighbour matching (NNM) =17.4%; kernel matching (KM) =11.8%) when health insurance is provided and a significant improvement in the ability to purchase prescribed medicine when a health-awareness programme is provided (NNM=10.1%; KM=11.7%).

conclusionHealth and social policies are vital to secure health and well-being among poor women working in the informal sector. Targeting improved equity across female population groups for health interventions will in the long run improve poor women's health, income-earning abilities and capacity expansion for small businesses.

Indexed as

Health PromotionIncomeChildFemaleHealth StatusHumansOutcome Assessment, Health CarePakistanRetrospective Studiesepidemiologyhealth policypublic health

Identifiers

PMID33402411
PMCPMC7786800
OpenAlexW3118341980

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.