Asia-Pacific journal of public health
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Asia Pac J Public Health · Nov 2011
Comparative StudyRural-urban comparison in prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents of Asian Indian origin.
To study whether the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is restricted by habitat (urban vs rural). ⋯ Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents is not restricted to any particular habitat and warrants early intervention if this global epidemic is to be checked.
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Asia Pac J Public Health · Nov 2011
Measurement and explanation of horizontal (in)equity in health care utilization among Thais after universal coverage policy implementation.
This study aimed to examine the extent to which income-related inequality and horizontal inequity in outpatient and inpatient care utilization among Thais are manifest after the country implemented the Universal Coverage (UC) policy, by using a concentration index and a horizontal inequity index, respectively. Furthermore, the study examined the determinants and their associations with the observed inequality, if any, in health care utilization through decomposition methods. ⋯ Although there are socioeconomic gradients in health care utilization among Thais, the findings reveal that health care utilization tends to favor the poor in particular with utilization at the public facility and especially at the primary care level facility. Thailand has made impressive strides toward nearly universal health insurance coverage and improving access to and utilization of health care for its population, particularly among the poor.