BACKGROUND An uneven spatial distribution of leprosy can be caused by the influence of geography on the distribution of risk factors over the area, or by population characteristics that are heterogeneously distributed over the area. We studied the distribution of leprosy cases detected by a control program to identify spatial and spatio-temporal patterns of occurrence and to search for environm...

INTRODUCTION Residents of rural communities in the United States are at higher risk for obesity than their urban and suburban counterparts. Policy and environmental-change strategies supporting healthier dietary intake can prevent obesity and promote health equity. Evidence in support of these strategies is based largely on urban and suburban studies; little is known about use of these strategi...

PURPOSE The evaluation of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is increasingly growing to be of much significance. In an attempt to improve the agricultural conditions and to prevent the rural-urban migration, analyzing HRQOL in rural communities has gained significant governmental attention. The purpose of this study was initially to investigate rural women's HRQOL, and then to assess the in...

INTRODUCTION Sub-Saharan Africa has a disproportionate burden of disease and an extreme shortage of health workforce. Therefore, adequate care for emerging chronic diseases can be very challenging. We implemented and evaluated the effectiveness of an intervention package comprising telecare as a mean for improving the outcomes of care for hypertension in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS The ...

This study evaluates the efficiency of rural health centers in Rwanda in delivering the three key human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome services: antiretroviral treatment, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and voluntary counseling and testing using data envelopment analysis, and assesses the impact of community-based health insurance (CBHI) and performance-ba...

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are groups of health care providers, principally physicians and hospitals, who develop a new entity that contracts to provide coordinated care to assigned patients with the goal of improving quality of care while controlling costs. Section 3022 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 created the Medicare Shared Savings Program (SSP). The C...

conclusions the seroprevalence of hev infection found in rural durango is higher than those reported in other mexican populations. consumption of untreated water is an important factor for hev exposure in rural areas in durango. the correlates of hev seropositivity found in the present study can be used for an optimal planning of preventive measures against hev infection. results one hundred (3...

introduction: the aim of this study was to investigate weight gain during pregnancy and birth weight in rural regions of tabriz, a province in the northwest of iran. materials & methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted using routinely collected data of pregnant mothers from rural health centers. eight health centers were randomly selected in rural areas of tabriz. totally, 874 women aged ...

infrastructure plays an important role in the process of economic development. access to such infrastructures as safe piped drinking water, educational and health services, electrification and efficient transport system enhance human welfare. the main objective of this study is to determine the contribution of the main types of infrastructure investments to reduction of poverty and more balance...