Internal Migration as a Social Determinant of Occupational Health and WASH Access in Myanmar.

Background: Migration is at an all-time high worldwide, and despite increased focus on international migrants, there is little evidence about internal migrants' exposures to socioeconomic, occupational, and environmental risk factors in low-and middle-income countries. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine differences in occupational health and access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) between internal migrants and non-migrants. Methods: A face-to-face survey (n = 937) was conducted in Mandalay, Myanmar. Bivariate and multivariate analysis included traditional social determinants such as education, income, occupation, gender, age, and location in addition to internal migration status. Findings: The majority of internal migrants (23% of the total sample) were labor migrants (67.3%), and while common social determinants (e.g., household income, education, and gender) were not statistically different between migrants and non-migrants, these groups reported different occupational profiles (p < 0.001). Migrants had higher odds of being street vendors (AOR = 2.26; 95% CI 1.33-3.85; p = 0.003) and were less likely to work labor jobs such as in factories or construction (AOR = 0.44; 95% CI 0.19-1.00; p = 0.051) when controlling for age, gender, education, and location. Internal migrants had significantly greater probabilities of experiencing some injuries and illness symptoms, such as cuts, vomiting, coughing, heatstroke, and diarrhea at work (p < 0.001). Compared to non-migrants, migrants' households were approximately three times more likely (AOR = 3.45; 95% CI 2.17-5.62; p < 0.001) to have an unimproved source of drinking water and twice as likely (AOR = 1.98; 95% CI 1.10-3.58; p < 0.05) to have unimproved sanitation facilities in their homes. Conclusions: The results underscore the importance of considering internal migration as an aspect of social determinants analyses, and the need for targeting appropriate WASH interventions to address inequities.

Assessment of WHO antibiotic consumption and access targets in 76 countries, 2000-15: an analysis of pharmaceutical sales data.

BACKGROUND: The WHO Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe) antibiotic classification framework aims to balance appropriate access to antibiotics and stewardship. We aimed to identify how patterns of antibiotic consumption in each of the AWaRe categories changed across countries over 15 years. METHODS: Antibiotic consumption was classified into Access, Watch, and Reserve categories for 76 countries between 2000, and 2015, using quarterly national sample survey data obtained from IQVIA. We measured the proportion of antibiotic use in each category, and calculated the ratio of Access antibiotics to Watch antibiotics (access-to-watch index), for each country. FINDINGS: Between 2000, and 2015, global per-capita consumption of Watch antibiotics increased by 90·9% (from 3·3 to 6·3 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day [DIDs]) compared with an increase of 26·2% (from 8·4 to 10·6 DIDs) in Access antibiotics. The increase in Watch antibiotic consumption was greater in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs; 165·0%; from 2·0 to 5·3 DIDs) than in high-income countries (HICs; 27·9%; from 6·1 to 7·8 DIDs). The access-to-watch index decreased by 38·5% over the study period globally (from 2·6 to 1·6); 46·7% decrease in LMICs (from 3·0 to 1·6) and 16·7% decrease in HICs (from 1·8 to 1·5), and 37 (90%) of 41 LMICs had a decrease in their relative access-to-watch consumption. The proportion of countries in which Access antibiotics represented at least 60% of their total antibiotic consumption (the WHO national-level target) decreased from 50 (76%) of 66 countries in 2000, to 42 (55%) of 76 countries in 2015. INTERPRETATION: Rapid increases in Watch antibiotic consumption, particularly in LMICs, reflect challenges in antibiotic stewardship. Without policy changes, the WHO national-level target of at least 60% of total antibiotic consumption being in the Access category by 2023, will be difficult to achieve. The AWaRe framework is an important measure of the effort to combat antimicrobial resistance and to ensure equal access to effective antibiotics between countries. FUNDING: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Understanding Barriers and Facilitators of Maternal Health Care Utilization in Central Myanmar.

The study objective was to examine barriers and facilitators of maternal health services utilization in Myanmar with the highest maternal mortality ratio in Southeast Asia. Data for 258 mothers with children under five were extracted from a community health survey administered between 2016 and 2017 in Mandalay, the largest city in central Myanmar, and analyzed for associations between determinants of maternal health care choices and related outcomes. The study showed that late antenatal care was underutilized (41.7%), and antenatal care attendance was significantly associated with geographical setting, household income, education, and access to transportation (p ≤ 0.05). Less than one-third of women gave birth at home and 18.5% of them did so without the assistance of traditional birth attendants. Household education level was a significant predictor for home delivery (p < 0.01). Utilization of postnatal care services was irregular (47.9%-70.9%) and strongly associated with women's places of delivery (p < 0.01). Efforts geared towards improving maternal health outcomes should focus on supporting traditional birth attendants in their role of facilitating high-quality care and helping women reach traditional health facilities, as well as on maternal health literacy based on culturally appropriate communication.