at a glance

34 items available

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These are short briefs on health, nutrition, and population topics. Expanded versions of the “at a glance” series, with links to resources and more information, are available on the World Bank Health, Nutrition and Population web site: www.worldbank.org/hnp

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 34
  • Publication
    Poverty and Shared Prosperity at a Glance: Tajikistan
    (Washington, DC, 2014-09-01) World Bank
    This brief on Tajikistan displays the trends, performance, demographics, contributors, and national data related to poverty and prosperity development.
  • Publication
    Nutrition at a Glance : The Democratic Republic of Congo
    (Washington, DC, 2011-04) World Bank
    Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo has higher rates of stunting than its immediate neighbors in the Africa region. Other countries with similar per capita incomes such as Somalia and Liberia exhibit lower rates of child stunting, which demonstrates the ability to achieve better nutrition outcomes despite low income. Under nutrition is not just a problem of poverty. Children are undernourished in 26 percent of even the richest households. This is typically not an issue of food access, but of caring practices and disease. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies impact well-being, and are pervasive in the DR Congo. The World Bank is supporting a US$150 million Health Sector Service Rehabilitation Project which intends to ensure that target populations receive a well-defined package of quality essential health services.
  • Publication
    Unmet Need for Contraception
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2010-03) Mills, Samuel; Bos, Ed; Suzuki, Emi
    The concept of 'unmet need for contraception', which refers to the proportion of women who do not want to become pregnant but are not using contraception, has been used in the international population field since the 1960s. The concept was developed from the first family planning and fertility surveys conducted in developing countries, which found a disconnect between women's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) about contraception. Unmet need for contraception is one of several frequently used indicators for monitoring of family planning programs, and was recently added to the millennium development goal of improving maternal health. Some other indicators that are used in combination with unmet need are the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR), the method mix, sources of contraceptive supplies, and reasons for not using contraception. In this note, authors deal mainly with the unmet need indicator, but believe that other indicators should also be part of monitoring and evaluation of family planning programs to broaden the understanding of the use of family planning in countries.
  • Publication
    Surveillance
    (Washington, DC, 2006-05) World Bank
    Health surveillance is the ongoing systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of health data essential for planning, implementing, and evaluating public health activities, closely integrated with timely dissemination of the data to enable effective and efficient action to be taken to prevent and control disease. The scope of surveillance is broad, from early warning systems for rapid response in the case of communicable diseases to planned response in the case of non-communicable diseases, where the lag time between exposure and disease is longer than for communicable diseases. Most countries have laws or regulations on mandatory reporting of a list of conditions determined by each country, primarily communicable diseases such as childhood vaccine-preventable diseases (polio, measles, tetanus, and diphtheria), TB, hepatitis, meningitis, and leprosy. Relatively small investments can be very effective in reducing death, disease, and disability. Surveillance can make the health system more effective and efficient, and better able to control devastating epidemics. It can lead to early detection of local epidemics when control is more effective, less costly, and involves less loss of life. Surveillance is also important for controlling and preventing endemic diseases that reduce productivity and can be costly to manage. Good surveillance systems permit early identification of diseases such as TB and syphilis that can be cured easily with low-cost treatments, combined with other public health actions.
  • Publication
    Maternal Mortality
    (Washington, DC, 2006-05) World Bank
    Over 529,000 women die annually from complications during pregnancy, childbirth, or the postpartum period. Nearly all of these deaths occur in developing countries, where fertility rates are higher and a woman's life time risk of dying during pregnancy and childbirth is over 400 times higher than in developed countries. Additionally, an estimated 20 million women endure lifelong disabilities such as pelvic pain, incontinence, obstetric fistula, anemia and infertility. The main direct causes of maternal death are severe bleeding, unsafe abortion, infection, eclampsia, and obstructed labor; the indirect causes include anemia, malaria, heart disease, and HIV. Pregnancy complications are the main cause of death for women aged 15-19. High maternal mortality rates in many countries result from poor reproductive health care, including not having access to skilled care during pregnancy and childbirth and access to safe abortion even where it is legal, especially for the poorest women. Risks of poor outcomes during pregnancy and childbirth are exacerbated by poverty, low status of women, lack of education, poor nutrition, heavy workloads and violence. While many factors contribute to maternal death, one of the most effective means of preventing maternal health is to improve health systems and primary health care to ensure availability of skilled attendance at all levels and access to 24-hour emergency obstetric care. Family planning services could also reduce maternal deaths and morbidities by 30 percent. Prevention of unwanted pregnancies and access to safe abortion as allowed by law and post abortion care services could reduce maternal deaths and injuries caused by unsafe abortions - over 68,000 women die from unsafe abortions annually.
  • Publication
    Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
    (Washington, DC, 2003-11) World Bank
    Better hygiene and access to drinking water and sanitation will accelerate progress toward two millennium development goals (MDGs): 'reduce under-five child mortality rate by 2/3 between 1990 and 2015' and "by 2015 halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation". Meeting the latter goal will require infrastructure investments of about US$23 billion per year, to improve water services for 1.5 billion more people (292,000 people per day) and access to safe sanitation for 2.2 billion additional people (397,000 per day). Water supply, sanitation, and hygiene are about more than health. Saved time, particularly for women and children, is a major benefit. Beneficiaries of water and sanitation projects in India reported these benefits: less tension/conflict in homes and communities; community unity, self-esteem, women's empowerment (less harassment) and improved school attendance (Water Aid 2001). Improved hygiene (hand washing) and sanitation (latrines) have more impact than drinking water quality on health outcomes, specifically reductions in diarrhea, parasitic infections, morbidity and mortality, and increases in child growth (Esrey et al 1991; Hutley et al 1997). Most endemic diarrhea is not water-borne, but transmitted from person to person by poor hygiene practices, so an increase in the quantity of water has a greater health impact than improved water quality because it makes it possible (or at least more feasible) for people to adopt safe hygiene behaviors (Esrey et al 1996).
  • Publication
    TB Control
    (Washington, DC, 2003-11) World Bank
    Despite the discovery fifty years ago, of drugs that can cure tuberculosis (TB), the disease still remains a top killer worldwide. The note stipulates that one third of the world's population is infected by Mycrobacterium Tuberculosis, and while ninety percent of infected individuals never develop the disease, ten percent fell ill, or their immune systems become impaired when burdened by physical, or emotional stress. Similarly to HIV/AIDS, and malaria, the social and economic burden from TB is enormous, being the poor the most vulnerable. The World Health Organization highlights the work of DOTS - a development of tools, and strategies, and, a basic template that is adapted depending on a range of variables - describing it as a foundation for TB control worldwide, which contains five core interventions: resource mobilization and capacity building to pursue TB control, accompanied by community involvement; early diagnosis; treatment to cure infectious cases; provision of medicines and risk reduction to drug resistance; and, track the epidemic and motivate health providers.
  • Publication
    Alcohol
    (Washington, DC, 2003-11) World Bank
    Alcohol abuse is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Alcohol abuse is responsible for 4 percent of global deaths and disability, nearly as much as tobacco and five times the burden of illicit drugs (WHO). In developing countries with low mortality, alcohol is the leading risk factor for males, causing 9.8 percent of years lost to death and disability. Alcohol abuse contributes to a wide range of social and health problems, including depression, injuries, cancer, cirrhosis, dependence, family disruption, and loss of work productivity. Health and social problems from drinking often affect others besides the drinker. While men do the bulk of the drinking worldwide, women disproportionately suffer the consequences, including alcohol related domestic violence and reduced family budgets. Heavy alcohol use takes a particular toll on the young, and has been linked to high rates of youthful criminal behavior, injury, and impaired ability to achieve educational qualifications. Many deaths and much disease and suffering could be prevented by reducing alcohol use and related problems. The most effective approach to reduce alcohol-related problems is to implement a comprehensive set of measures to reduce alcohol consumption and related problems. Policy options include price increases, restrictions on availability, strong drink-driving legislation and ready access to treatment. Some countries have succeeded in reducing per capita consumption substantially, and consequently have reduced liver cirrhosis deaths, a common indicator of alcohol-related problems in a society. Efforts to reduce alcohol consumption and related problems face formidable obstacles: alcohol dependence; social pressures; aggressive alcohol marketing and promotion; other pressing health problems competing for limited resources. The overall trend is towards stricter laws and increased enforcement in some areas such as drinking-driving. Provision of treatment for drinking problems has increased in many places in recent decades.
  • Publication
    HIV/AIDS
    (Washington, DC, 2003-10) World Bank
    The epidemic spread of HIV/AIDS has been ferocious, posing a great threat, not only to public health, but to social sectors, and to development itself, while the fiscal cost of HIV/AIDS is significant as well. A set of effective prevention interventions include: changing behavior through communication; making the use of condoms, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, including counseling and testing, available and affordable; ensuring a safe blood supply; and, preventing parent-to-child transmission. In addition, countries should consider implementing programs to provide cost-effective management of common opportunistic infections. Similarly, community-based, and home-based care should be made available, in addition to traditional hospital care, particularly in countries with a generalized epidemic. Lessons convey the vital need for early action, supported by community participation, targeting the most vulnerable, and prioritizing interventions, while governments should be committed to its prevention, control, and funding. Additionally, nongovernmental organizations' participation plays a decisive role against the epidemic spread, in their capacity for social mobilization, and in reaching marginal groups.
  • Publication
    Mental Health
    (Washington, DC, 2003-10) World Bank
    The response on why to address mental health, lies on the fact that neuropsychiatric disorders account for an eleven percent of the global burden of disease; that four, of the top ten causes of disability were due to mental disorders; and, that depression is projected to rank second among neurological disorders. Thus, the catastrophic costs of mental disorders for individuals, and families can tip them into poverty, and it is emphasized that poor people are more likely to have symptoms of mental disease. And, while myths about the causes of mental illness abound, it is now known that these are caused by an interaction of social, genetic, traumatic, and infectious factors. As a starting point, the note indicates that an increased awareness on the causes, prevention, and interventions of mental disorders should be promoted, as should increasing numbers of health workers, and providers in such areas. It is also suggested that demand for mental, and neurological services needs to be voiced, through health education programs to combat the stigma, and raise awareness of what mental disorders really are.