BACKGROUND Economic inequality in the United States is extreme, but little is known about the national origin of affluent households. Households in the top one percent by total wealth own vastly disproportionate quantities of household assets and have correspondingly high levels of economic, social, and political influence. The overrepresentation of white natives (i.e., those born in the U.S.) ...

Current estimates of antiviral effectiveness for influenza are based on the existing strains of the virus. Should a pandemic strain emerge, strain-specific estimates will be required as early as possible to ensure that antiviral stockpiles are used optimally and to compare the benefits of using antivirals as prophylaxis or to treat cases. We present a method to measure antiviral effectiveness u...

In this paper, we construct a dynamic general-equilibrium overlapping-generations model with heterogeneous households and analyze the macroeconomic, budgetary, and welfare effects of introducing tax-deferred retirement saving accounts similar to the U.S. 401(k) plans. We solve the model for equilibrium transition path to show both the long-run and short-run effects under several different finan...

A sine-qua-non for eradicating protein malnutrition in Nigeria is increased ingestion of high-value proteins found in various fish forms. This study attempted to give empirical backing or refutation to the assertion that dried fish is consumed more than fresh fish in Nigeria. Data used were gathered in 90 rural and urban households selected through multi-stage sampling technique. Analytical too...

this study focused on the income generating capacity of farm family’s own resources and examined the vulnerability to financial risk among the remote and peri-urban farming systems of imo state. primary data was collected using the farming and rural systems approach to randomly select and interview 120 households. descriptive statistics and mann whitney test were used in assessing between group...

BACKGROUND To examine the trend of "mobile only" households, and households that have a mobile phone or landline telephone listed in the telephone directory, and to describe these groups by various socio-demographic and health indicators. METHOD Representative face-to-face population health surveys of South Australians, aged 15 years and over, were conducted in 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008...

A January 2014 industrial accident contaminated the public water supply of approximately 300,000 homes in and near Charleston, West Virginia (USA) with low levels of a strongly-smelling substance consisting principally of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM). The ensuing state of emergency closed schools and businesses. Hundreds of people sought medical care for symptoms they related to the inci...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES In 2008, India's Labour Ministry launched a hospital insurance scheme called Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) covering 'Below Poverty Line' (BPL) households. RSBY is implemented through insurance companies; premiums are subsidized by Union and States governments (75 : 25%). We examined RSBY's enrolment of BPL, costs vs. budgets and policy ramifications. METHODS Nu...

This study examines the gender-differentiated effects of Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) on households in Zimbabwe during 1991. Interviews and focus groups were conducted among 120 randomly selected households in Kambuzuma, a densely populated suburb of Harare with mostly Black residents with a considerable range in income. Interviews were conducted in mid-1991 and reinterviews were con...

A prospective survey of social mixing patterns relevant to respiratory disease transmission by large droplets (e.g., influenza) or small droplet nuclei (e.g., tuberculosis) was performed in a South African township in 2010. A total of 571 randomly selected participants recorded the numbers, times, and locations of close contacts (physical/nonphysical) and indoor casual contacts met daily. The m...