Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35322766›Full record

ArticleGlobal health action2022

Spatial disparities in impoverishing effects of out-of-pocket health payments in Malawi.

Atupele N Mulaga, Mphatso S Kamndaya, Salule J Masangwi

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Global health action, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 14% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Article
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

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Atupele N MulagaDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi.ORCID 0000-0002-9172-0366
Mphatso S KamndayaSchool of Science and Technology, Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi.
Salule J MasangwiSchool of Science and Technology, Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi.
University of Malawi · MWMalawi University of Business and Applied Sciences

Funding

Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust 107768/Z/15/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOut-of-pocket health payments as a means of financing health services are a cause of concern among households in low and middle-income countries. They prevent households from accessing health care services, can disrupt households' living standards by reducing consumption of other basic needs and push households into poverty. Previous studies have reported geographical variations in impoverishing effects of out-of-pocket health payments. Yet, we know relatively little about spatial effects on impoverishing effects of health payments.

objectiveThis paper assesses the factors associated with impoverishing effects of health payments and quantifies the role of districts spatial effects on impoverishment in Malawi.

methodsThe paper uses a cross sectional integrated household survey data collected from April 2016 to April 2017 among 12447 households in Malawi. Impoverishing effect of out-of-pocket health payments was calculated as the difference between poverty head count ratio before and after subtracting health payments from total household consumption expenditures. We assessed the factors associated with impoverishment and quantified the role of spatial effects using a spatial multilevel model.

resultsAbout 1.6% and 1.2% of the Malawian population were pushed below the national and international poverty line of US$1.90 respectively due health payments. We found significant spatial variations in impoverishment across districts with higher spatial residual effects clustering in central region districts. Higher socio-economic status (AOR=0.34, 95% CI=0.22-0.52) decreased the risk of impoverishment whereas hospitalizations (AOR=3.63, 95% CI 2.54-5.15), chronic illness (AOR=1.56, 95% CI=1.10-1.22), residency in rural area (AOR=2.03, 95% CI=1.07-4.26) increased the risk of impoverishment.

conclusionsOur study suggests the need to plan financial protection programs according to district specific needs and target the poor, residents of rural areas and those with chronic illnesses. Policy makers need to pay attention to the importance of spatial and neighborhood effects when designing financial protection programs and policies.

Indexed as

Health ExpendituresPovertyCross-Sectional StudiesFinancing, PersonalHumansMalawifinancial protectionMalawiOut-of-pocket health paymentsspatial multilevel modeluniversal health coverage

Identifiers

PMID35322766
PMCPMC8956308
OpenAlexW4220653931

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.