Improving accessibility to radiotherapy services in Cali, Colombia: cross-sectional equity analyses using open data and big data travel times from 2020.

In this study, we evaluated and forecasted the cumulative opportunities for residents to access radiotherapy services in Cali, Colombia, while accounting for traffic congestion, using a new people-centred methodology with an equity focus. Furthermore, we identified 1-2 optimal locations where new services would maximise accessibility. We utilised open data and publicly available big data. Cali is one of South America's cities most impacted by traffic congestion. METHODOLOGY: Using a people-centred approach, we tested a web-based digital platform developed through an iterative participatory design. The platform integrates open data, including the location of radiotherapy services, the disaggregated sociodemographic microdata for the population and places of residence, and big data for travel times from Google Distance Matrix API. We used genetic algorithms to identify optimal locations for new services. We predicted accessibility cumulative opportunities (ACO) for traffic ranging from peak congestion to free-flow conditions with hourly assessments for 6-12 July 2020 and 23-29 November 2020. The interactive digital platform is openly available. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES: We present descriptive statistics and population distribution heatmaps based on 20-min accessibility cumulative opportunities (ACO) isochrones for car journeys. There is no set national or international standard for these travel time thresholds. Most key informants found the 20-min threshold reasonable. These isochrones connect the population-weighted centroid of the traffic analysis zone at the place of residence to the corresponding zone of the radiotherapy service with the shortest travel time under varying traffic conditions ranging from free-flow to peak-traffic congestion levels. Additionally, we conducted a time-series bivariate analysis to assess geographical accessibility based on economic stratum. We identify 1-2 optimal locations where new services would maximize the 20-min ACO during peak-traffic congestion. RESULTS: Traffic congestion significantly diminished accessibility to radiotherapy services, particularly affecting vulnerable populations. For instance, urban 20-min ACO by car dropped from 91% of Cali's urban population within a 20-min journey to the service during free-flow traffic to 31% during peak traffic for the week of 6-12 July 2020. Percentages represent the population within a 20-min journey by car from their residence to a radiotherapy service. Specific ethnic groups, individuals with lower educational attainment, and residents on the outskirts of Cali experienced disproportionate effects, with accessibility decreasing to 11% during peak traffic compared to 81% during free-flow traffic for low-income households. We predict that strategically adding sufficient services in 1-2 locations in eastern Cali would notably enhance accessibility and reduce inequities. The recommended locations for new services remained consistent in both of our measurements.These findings underscore the significance of prioritising equity and comprehensive care in healthcare accessibility. They also offer a practical approach to optimising service locations to mitigate disparities. Expanding this approach to encompass other transportation modes, services, and cities, or updating measurements, is feasible and affordable. The new approach and data are particularly relevant for planning authorities and urban development actors.

ESPAñOL: En este estudio, evaluamos y pronosticamos las oportunidades acumulativas para que los residentes accedan a los servicios de radioterapia en Cali, Colombia, teniendo en cuenta la congestión del tráfico, utilizando una nueva metodología centrada en las personas con un enfoque de equidad. Además, identificamos 1-2 ubicaciones óptimas donde los nuevos servicios maximizarían la accesibilidad. Utilizamos datos abiertos y macrodatos disponibles públicamente. Cali está entre las ciudades Sudamericanas más afectadas por la congestión del tráfico.Metodología: Usando un enfoque centrado en las personas, probamos una plataforma digital basada en la web desarrollada a través de un diseño participativo iterativo. La plataforma integra datos abiertos, incluyendo la ubicación de los servicios de radioterapia, los microdatos sociodemográficos desagregados de la población y los lugares de residencia, y los macrodatos de tiempos de viaje de la API de Google Distance Matrix. Usamos algoritmos genéticos para identificar ubicaciones óptimas para nuevos servicios. Pronosticamos oportunidades acumulativas de accesibilidad (ACO, por sus siglas en inglés) para el tráfico que va desde la congestión máxima hasta condiciones de flujo libre, con evaluaciones horarias hechas del 6 al 12 de julio de 2020 y del 23 al 29 de noviembre de 2020. La plataforma digital interactiva está públicamente disponible.Resultados Primarios y Secundarios: Presentamos estadísticas descriptivas y mapas de calor de la distribución de la población basados en isócronas de ACO de 20 minutos para viajes en coche. No existe un estándar nacional o internacional establecido para estos umbrales de tiempo de viaje. La mayoría de los informantes clave encontraron razonable el umbral de 20 minutos. Estas isócronas conectan el centroide poblacional ponderado de la zona de análisis de tráfico del lugar de residencia con la zona correspondiente del servicio de radioterapia con menor tiempo de viaje bajo condiciones variables de tráfico, que van desde el flujo libre hasta niveles de congestión de tráfico máximo. Además, realizamos un análisis bivariado de series temporales para evaluar la accesibilidad geográfica basada en el estrato económico. Identificamos 1-2 ubicaciones óptimas donde los nuevos servicios maximizarían el ACO de 20 minutos durante la congestión máxima del tráfico.Resultados: La congestión del tráfico redujo significativamente la accesibilidad a los servicios de radioterapia, afectando particularmente a las poblaciones vulnerables. Por ejemplo, el ACO urbano de 20 minutos en coche se redujo del 91% de la población urbana de Cali para viajes de hasta 20 minutos al servicio con flujo libre de tráfico, al 31% cuando hay congestión pico de tráfico durante la semana del 6 al 12 de julio de 2020. Los porcentajes representan la población con viajes de hasta 20 minutos en coche desde la residencia hasta el servicio de radioterapia. Grupos étnicos específicos, individuos con menor nivel educativo y residentes en las afueras de Cali experimentaron efectos desproporcionados, con la accesibilidad disminuyendo al 11% durante el tráfico máximo en comparación con el 81% durante el tráfico de flujo libre para hogares de bajos ingresos. Predecimos que agregar estratégicamente suficientes servicios en 1-2 ubicaciones en el este de Cali mejoraría notablemente la accesibilidad y reduciría las inequidades. Las ubicaciones recomendadas para los nuevos servicios se mantuvieron consistentes en nuestras dos mediciones.Estos hallazgos subrayan la importancia de priorizar la equidad y la atención integral en la accesibilidad a la atención médica. También ofrecen un enfoque práctico para optimizar las ubicaciones de los servicios para mitigar las disparidades. Es factible y accesible expandir este enfoque para abarcar otros modos de transporte, servicios y ciudades, o actualizar las mediciones. El nuevo enfoque y los datos son particularmente relevantes para las autoridades de planificación y los actores del desarrollo urbano.

PORTUGUêS: Neste estudo, avaliamos e previmos as oportunidades cumulativas para os residentes acessarem serviços de radioterapia em Cali, Colômbia, levando em consideração o congestionamento do tráfego, utilizando uma nova metodologia centrada nas pessoas com um foco na equidade. Além disso, identificamos 1-2 locais ideais onde os novos serviços poderiam maximizar a acessibilidade. Utilizamos dados abertos e big data disponíveis publicamente. Cali está entre as cidades sulamericanas mais afetadas pela congestionamento do tráfego.Metodologia: Usando uma abordagem centrada em pessoas, testamos uma plataforma digital baseada na web que foi desenvolvida através de um design participativo iterativo. A plataforma integra dados abertos, incluindo a localização dos serviços de radioterapia, microdados sociodemográficos desagregados por população e locais de residência, e big data da API Google Distance Matrix para os tempos de viagem. Utilizamos algoritmos genéticos para identificar locais ideais para novos serviços. Previmos oportunidades cumulativas de acessibilidade (ACO, por suas siglas em inglês) para o tráfego que varia desde o congestionamento máximo até condições de fluxo livre, com avaliações horárias de 6 a 12 de julho de 2020 e de 23 a 29 de novembro de 2020. A plataforma digital interativa está disponível publicamente.Resultados Primários e Secundários: Apresentamos estatísticas descritivas e mapas de calor da distribuição populacional baseados em isócronas de ACO de 20 minutos para viagens de carro. Não existe um padrão nacional ou internacional estabelecido para esses limites de tempo de viagem. A maioria dos entrevistados-chave considerou razoável o limite de 20 minutos. Essas isócronas conectam o centroide ponderado pela população da zona de análise de tráfego no local de residência e sua zona correspondente do serviço de radioterapia com o menor tempo de viagem sob condições variáveis de tráfego (que vão desde fluxo livre até níveis máximos de congestionamento do tráfego). Além disso, realizamos uma análise bivariada de séries temporais para avaliar a acessibilidade geográfica baseada na estratificação econômica. Identificamos 1-2 locais ideais onde os novos serviços maximizariam a ACO de 20 minutos durante o pico de congestionamento do tráfego.Resultados: O congestionamento do tráfego reduziu significativamente a acessibilidade aos serviços de radioterapia, afetando particularmente as populações vulneráveis. Por exemplo, a ACO urbana de 20 minutos de carro foi reduzida de 91% durante um fluxo livre de tráfego, para 31% durante picos de congestionamento de tráfego entre a semana de 6 a 12 de julho de 2020. As porcentagens representam a população com viagens de até 20 minutos de carro de sua residência até o serviço de radioterapia. Grupos étnicos específicos, indivíduos com menor nível educacional e residentes nos arredores de Cali experimentaram resultados desproporcionais, com a acessibilidade diminuindo para 11% durante o tráfego com congestionamento máximo em comparação com 81% durante o fluxo livre de tráfego para domicílios de baixa renda. Prevemos que adicionar estrategicamente serviços suficientes em 1-2 locais no leste de Cali melhoraria significativamente a acessibilidade e reduziria as desigualdades. Os locais recomendados para os novos serviços permaneceram consistentes em ambas medições. Esses resultados ressaltam a importância de priorizar a equidade e o atendimento integral na acessibilidade aos cuidados de saúde. Eles também oferecem uma abordagem prática para otimizar os locais dos serviços a fim de minimizar as desigualdades. A expansão dessa abordagem para abranger outros modos de transporte, serviços e cidades, ou a atualização das medições, é viável e acessível. A nova abordagem e os dados são particularmente relevantes para as autoridades de planejamento e os agentes do desenvolvimento urbano.

FRANçAIS: Dans cette étude, nous avons évalué et prévu les opportunités cumulées pour les résidents d'accéder aux services de radiothérapie à Cali, en Colombie, tout en tenant compte de la congestion du trafic en utilisant une nouvelle méthodologie centrée sur les personnes avec axée sur l'équité. De plus, nous avons identifié 1 à 2 emplacements optimaux où de nouveaux services maximiseraient l'accessibilité. Nous avons utilisé des données ouvertes et des macrodonnées tenues à disposition du public. Cali est l'une des villes d'Amérique du Sud les plus touchées par la congestion du trafic.Méthodologie: En utilisant une approche centrée sur les personnes, nous avons testé une plateforme numérique basée sur le web développée à travers une conception participative itérative. La plateforme intègre des données ouvertes, y compris la localisation des services de radiothérapie, les microdonnées sociodémographiques désagrégées de la population et les lieux de résidence, ainsi que les mégadonnées des temps de trajet de l'API Google Distance Matrix. Nous avons utilisé des algorithmes génétiques pour identifier les emplacements optimaux pour de nouveaux services. Nous avons prévu les opportunités cumulatives d'accessibilité (ACO, désignant l'acronyme en anglais) pour le trafic allant de la congestion maximale aux conditions de flux libre, avec des évaluations horaires du 6 au 12 juillet 2020 et du 23 au 29 novembre 2020. La plateforme numérique interactive est disponible publiquement.Résultats Primaires et Secondaires: Nous présentons des statistiques descriptives et des cartes thermiques de la distribution de la population basées sur des ACO de 20 minutes pour les trajets en voiture. Il n'existe pas de norme nationale ou internationale établie pour ces seuils de temps de trajet. La majorité des informateurs clés ont trouvé le seuil de 20 minutes raisonnable. Ces isochrones relient le centroïde pondéré par la population de la zone d'analyse du trafic au lieu de résidence à la zone correspondante du service de radiothérapie avec le temps de trajet le plus court sous des conditions de trafic variables allant du flux libre aux niveaux de congestion de trafic maximum. De plus, nous avons réalisé une analyse bivariée des séries chronologiques pour évaluer l'accessibilité géographique en fonction de la stratification économique. Nous avons identifié 1 à 2 emplacements optimaux où de nouveaux services maximiseraient l'ACO de 20 minutes pendant la congestion maximale du trafic.Résultats: La congestion du trafic a considérablement réduit l'accessibilité aux services de radiothérapie, affectant particulièrement les populations vulnérables. Par exemple, l'ACO urbain de 20 minutes en voiture est passé de 91 % de la population urbaine de Cali pour des trajets de jusqu'à 20 minutes vers le service avec un flux de trafic libre à 31 % lors des pics de congestion de trafic pendant la semaine du 6 au 12 juillet 2020. Les pourcentages représentent la population avec des trajets de jusqu'à 20 minutes en voiture depuis la résidence jusqu'au service de radiothérapie. Des groupes ethniques spécifiques, des individus ayant un niveau d'éducation inférieur et des résidents des périphéries de Cali ont subi des effets disproportionnés, avec une accessibilité diminuant à 11 % pendant le trafic maximal par rapport à 81 % pendant le flux de trafic libre pour les ménages à faible revenu. Ajouter suffisamment de services à 1-2 emplacements stratégiques dans l'est de Cali a le potential d'améliorer considérablement l'accessibilité et réduirait les inégalités. Les emplacements recommandés pour les nouveaux services sont restés cohérents dans nos deux mesures. Ces conclusions soulignent l'importance de prioriser l'équité et une prise en charge globale dans le cadre de l'accessibilité aux soins de santé. Elles offrent également une approche pratique pour optimiser les emplacements des services afin de réduire les disparités. Il est faisable et abordable d'étendre cette approche pour inclure d'autres modes de transport, services et villes, ou pour mettre à jour les mesures. La nouvelle approche et les données sont particulièrement pertinentes pour les autorités de planification et les acteurs du développement urbain.

Dynamic measurements of geographical accessibility considering traffic congestion using open data: a cross-sectional assessment for haemodialysis services in Cali, Colombia.

Background: Many cities with traffic congestion lack accessibility assessments accounting for traffic congestion and equity considerations but have disaggregated georeferenced municipal-level open data on health services, populations, and travel times big data. We convened a multistakeholder intersectoral collaborative group that developed a digital, web-based platform integrating open and big data to derive dynamic spatial-temporal accessibility measurements (DSTAM) for haemodialysis services. We worked with stakeholders and data scientists and considered people's places of residence, service locations, and travel time to the service with the shortest travel time. Additionally, we predicted the impacts of strategically introducing haemodialysis services where they optimise accessibility. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of DSTAM, accounting for traffic congestion, were conducted using a web-based platform. This platform integrated traffic analysis zones, public census and health services datasets, and Google Distance Matrix API travel-time data. Predictive and prescriptive analytics identified optimal locations for new haemodialysis services and estimated improvements. Primary outcomes included the percentage of residents within a 20-min car drive of a haemodialysis service during peak and free-flow traffic congestion. Secondary outcomes focused on optimal locations to maximise accessibility with new services and potential improvements. Findings were disaggregated by sociodemographic characteristics, providing an equity perspective. The study in Cali, Colombia, used geographic and disaggregated sociodemographic data from the adjusted 2018 Colombian census. Predicted travel times were obtained for two weeks in 2020. Findings: There were substantial traffic variations. Congestion reduced accessibility, especially among marginalised groups. For 6-12 July, free-flow and peak-traffic accessibility rates were 95.2% and 45.0%, respectively. For 23-29 November, free-flow and peak traffic accessibility rates were 89.1% and 69.7%. The locations where new services would optimise accessibility had slight variation and would notably enhance accessibility and health equity. Interpretation: Establishing haemodialysis services in targeted areas has significant potential benefits. By increasing accessibility, it would enhance urban health and equity. Funding: No external or institutional funding was received.

A scoping review establishes need for consensus guidance on reporting health equity in observational studies.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the support from the available guidance on reporting of health equity in research for our candidate items and to identify additional items for the Strengthening Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology-Equity extension. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a scoping review by searching Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Methodology Register, LILACS, and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information up to January 2022. We also searched reference lists and gray literature for additional resources. We included guidance and assessments (hereafter termed "resources") related to conduct and/or reporting for any type of health research with or about people experiencing health inequity. RESULTS: We included 34 resources, which supported one or more candidate items or contributed to new items about health equity reporting in observational research. Each candidate item was supported by a median of six (range: 1-15) resources. In addition, 12 resources suggested 13 new items, such as "report the background of investigators". CONCLUSION: Existing resources for reporting health equity in observational studies aligned with our interim checklist of candidate items. We also identified additional items that will be considered in the development of a consensus-based and evidence-based guideline for reporting health equity in observational studies.

Improving social justice in observational studies: protocol for the development of a global and Indigenous STROBE-equity reporting guideline.

BACKGROUND: Addressing persistent and pervasive health inequities is a global moral imperative, which has been highlighted and magnified by the societal and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Observational studies can aid our understanding of the impact of health and structural oppression based on the intersection of gender, race, ethnicity, age and other factors, as they frequently collect this data. However, the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guideline, does not provide guidance related to reporting of health equity. The goal of this project is to develop a STROBE-Equity reporting guideline extension. METHODS: We assembled a diverse team across multiple domains, including gender, age, ethnicity, Indigenous background, disciplines, geographies, lived experience of health inequity and decision-making organizations. Using an inclusive, integrated knowledge translation approach, we will implement a five-phase plan which will include: (1) assessing the reporting of health equity in published observational studies, (2) seeking wide international feedback on items to improve reporting of health equity, (3) establishing consensus amongst knowledge users and researchers, (4) evaluating in partnership with Indigenous contributors the relevance to Indigenous peoples who have globally experienced the oppressive legacy of colonization, and (5) widely disseminating and seeking endorsement from relevant knowledge users. We will seek input from external collaborators using social media, mailing lists and other communication channels. DISCUSSION: Achieving global imperatives such as the Sustainable Development Goals (e.g., SDG 10 Reduced inequalities, SDG 3 Good health and wellbeing) requires advancing health equity in research. The implementation of the STROBE-Equity guidelines will enable a better awareness and understanding of health inequities through better reporting. We will broadly disseminate the reporting guideline with tools to enable adoption and use by journal editors, authors, and funding agencies, using diverse strategies tailored to specific audiences.

Dynamic accessibility by car to tertiary care emergency services in Cali, Colombia, in 2020: cross-sectional equity analyses using travel time big data from a Google API.

OBJECTIVES: To test a new approach to characterise accessibility to tertiary care emergency health services in urban Cali and assess the links between accessibility and sociodemographic factors relevant to health equity. DESIGN: The impact of traffic congestion on accessibility to tertiary care emergency departments was studied with an equity perspective, using a web-based digital platform that integrated publicly available digital data, including sociodemographic characteristics of the population and places of residence with travel times. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Cali, Colombia (population 2.258 million in 2020) using geographic and sociodemographic data. The study used predicted travel times downloaded for a week in July 2020 and a week in November 2020. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES: The share of the population within a 15 min journey by car from the place of residence to the tertiary care emergency department with the shortest journey (ie, 15 min accessibility rate (15mAR)) at peak-traffic congestion hours. Sociodemographic characteristics were disaggregated for equity analyses. A time-series bivariate analysis explored accessibility rates versus housing stratification. RESULTS: Traffic congestion sharply reduces accessibility to tertiary emergency care (eg, 15mAR was 36.8% during peak-traffic hours vs 84.4% during free-flow hours for the week of 6-12 July 2020). Traffic congestion sharply reduces accessibility to tertiary emergency care. The greatest impact fell on specific ethnic groups, people with less educational attainment and those living in low-income households or on the periphery of Cali (15mAR: 8.1% peak traffic vs 51% free-flow traffic). These populations face longer average travel times to health services than the average population. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that health services and land use planning should prioritise travel times over travel distance and integrate them into urban planning. Existing technology and data can reveal inequities by integrating sociodemographic data with accurate travel times to health services estimates, providing the basis for valuable indicators.

Improving WHO's understanding of WHO guideline uptake and use in Member States: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: WHO publishes public health and clinical guidelines to guide Member States in achieving better health outcomes. Furthermore, WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work for 2019-2023 prioritizes strengthening its normative functional role and uptake of normative and standard-setting products, including guidelines at the country level. Therefore, understanding WHO guideline uptake by the Member States, particularly the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), is of utmost importance for the organization and scholarship. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review using a comprehensive search strategy to include published literature in English between 2007 and 2020. The review was conducted between May and June 2021. We searched five electronic databases including CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase and Scopus. We also searched Google Scholar as a supplementary source. The review adhered to the PRISMA-ScR (PRISMA extension for scoping reviews) guidelines for reporting the searches, screening and identification of evaluation studies from the literature. A narrative synthesis of the evidence around key barriers and challenges for WHO guideline uptake in LMICs is thematically presented. RESULTS: The scoping review included 48 studies, and the findings were categorized into four themes: (1) lack of national legislation, regulations and policy coherence, (2) inadequate experience, expertise and training of healthcare providers for guideline uptake, (3) funding limitations for guideline uptake and use, and (4) inadequate healthcare infrastructure for guideline compliance. These challenges were situated in the Member States' health systems. The findings suggest that governance was often weak within the existing health systems amongst most of the LMICs studied, as was the guidance provided by WHO's guidelines on governance requirements. This challenge was further exacerbated by a lack of accountability and transparency mechanisms for uptake and implementation of guidelines. In addition, the WHO guidelines themselves were either unclear and were technically challenging for some health conditions; however, WHO guidelines were primarily used as a reference by Member States when they developed their national guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: The challenges identified reflect the national health systems' (in)ability to allocate, implement and monitor the guidelines. Historically this is beyond the remit of WHO, but Member States could benefit from WHO implementation guidance on requirements and needs for successful uptake and use of WHO guidelines.

Dynamic geographical accessibility assessments to improve health equity: protocol for a test case in Cali, Colombia.

This protocol proposes an approach to assessing the place of residence as a spatial determinant of health in cities where traffic congestion might impact health services accessibility. The study provides dynamic travel times presenting data in ways that help shape decisions and spur action by diverse stakeholders and sectors.  Equity assessments in geographical accessibility to health services typically rely on static metrics, such as distance or average travel times. This new approach uses dynamic spatial accessibility measures providing travel times from the place of residence to the health service with the shortest journey time. It will show the interplay between traffic congestion, accessibility, and health equity and should be used to inform urban and health services monitoring and planning. Available digitised data enable efficient and accurate accessibility measurements for urban areas using publicly available sources and provide disaggregated sociodemographic information and an equity perspective. Test cases are done for urgent and frequent care (i.e., repeated ambulatory care). Situational analyses will be done with cross-sectional urban assessments; estimated potential improvements will be made for one or two new services, and findings will inform recommendations and future studies. This study will use visualisations and descriptive statistics to allow non-specialized stakeholders to understand the effects of accessibility on populations and health equity. This includes "time-to-destination" metrics or the proportion of the people that can reach a service by car within a given travel time threshold from the place of residence. The study is part of the AMORE Collaborative Project, in which a diverse group of stakeholders seeks to address equity for accessibility to essential health services, including health service users and providers, authorities, and community members, including academia.

Canadian contributions to research on neglected tropical diseases.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization's (WHO) Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Road Map for 2021-2030 was recently endorsed by all member states at the World Health Assembly in November 2020. Although only 3 of the 20 NTDs are endemic in Canada (i.e., echinococcosis, rabies, and scabies), the Canadian research community has contributed to advancing the knowledge base of all 20 NTDs. Previous research comprehensively detailed Canadian research on 11 NTDs between 1950 and 2010 using a network analysis approach. The specific objective of the present analysis was to update the publication record over the last decade (2010-2019) to include all 20 NTDs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A bibliometric analysis was conducted in Scopus and Web of Science databases (for English or French articles published between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019) using appropriate search terms for each of the 20 NTDs and where at least 1 of the authors had a Canadian institution address. A 21st search was added to include publications including multiple NTDs or a discussion of NTDs in general. Following assessment of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 2 reviewers independently screened all abstracts, with discordant observations rereviewed to arrive at an agreement. Duplicates were removed. RESULTS: A total of 1,790 publications were retrieved (1,738 with a disease-specific NTD focus and 52 with a general NTD focus, resulting in 1,659 unique publications), giving an average of over 160 articles per year. Over 80% were classified as full-length research articles. The top 3 journals in terms of frequency were PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, PLOS ONE, and the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Authors' institutions were from all Canadian provinces. While all 20 NTDs were addressed in these publications, the 5 most commonly studied were leishmaniasis, dengue fever and chikungunya, Chagas disease, soil-transmitted helminthiases, and rabies. CONCLUSIONS: Canadian researchers across the country have contributed to the evidence base of all 20 NTDs, publishing an average of over 160 publications per year between 2010 and 2019. As WHO NTD Road Map 2021-2030 rolls out globally, the Canadian research community, in collaboration with its partners and in solidarity with people living in vulnerable circumstances in endemic regions worldwide, is well positioned to meet future research challenges so that the goal of eliminating the disease burden attributable to NTDs can be achieved.

Behavioural interventions delivered through interactive social media for health behaviour change, health outcomes, and health equity in the adult population.

BACKGROUND: Social networking platforms offer a wide reach for public health interventions allowing communication with broad audiences using tools that are generally free and straightforward to use and may be combined with other components, such as public health policies. We define interactive social media as activities, practices, or behaviours among communities of people who have gathered online to interactively share information, knowledge, and opinions. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the effectiveness of interactive social media interventions, in which adults are able to communicate directly with each other, on changing health behaviours, body functions, psychological health, well-being, and adverse effects. Our secondary objective was to assess the effects of these interventions on the health of populations who experience health inequity as defined by PROGRESS-Plus. We assessed whether there is evidence about PROGRESS-Plus populations being included in studies and whether results are analysed across any of these characteristics. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE (including trial registries) and PsycINFO. We used Google, Web of Science, and relevant web sites to identify additional studies and searched reference lists of included studies. We searched for published and unpublished studies from 2001 until June 1, 2020. We did not limit results by language. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), controlled before-and-after (CBAs) and interrupted time series studies (ITSs). We included studies in which the intervention website, app, or social media platform described a goal of changing a health behaviour, or included a behaviour change technique. The social media intervention had to be delivered to adults via a commonly-used social media platform or one that mimicked a commonly-used platform. We included studies comparing an interactive social media intervention alone or as a component of a multi-component intervention with either a non-interactive social media control or an active but less-interactive social media comparator (e.g. a moderated versus an unmoderated discussion group). Our main outcomes were health behaviours (e.g. physical activity), body function outcomes (e.g. blood glucose), psychological health outcomes (e.g. depression), well-being, and adverse events. Our secondary outcomes were process outcomes important for behaviour change and included knowledge, attitudes, intention and motivation, perceived susceptibility, self-efficacy, and social support. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used a pre-tested data extraction form and collected data independently, in duplicate. Because we aimed to assess broad outcomes, we extracted only one outcome per main and secondary outcome categories prioritised by those that were the primary outcome as reported by the study authors, used in a sample size calculation, and patient-important. MAIN RESULTS: We included 88 studies (871,378 participants), of which 84 were RCTs, three were CBAs and one was an ITS. The majority of the studies were conducted in the USA (54%). In total, 86% were conducted in high-income countries and the remaining 14% in upper middle-income countries. The most commonly used social media platform was Facebook (39%) with few studies utilising other platforms such as WeChat, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Google Hangouts. Many studies (48%) used web-based communities or apps that mimic functions of these well-known social media platforms. We compared studies assessing interactive social media interventions with non-interactive social media interventions, which included paper-based or in-person interventions or no intervention. We only reported the RCT results in our 'Summary of findings' table. We found a range of effects on health behaviours, such as breastfeeding, condom use, diet quality, medication adherence, medical screening and testing, physical activity, tobacco use, and vaccination. For example, these interventions may increase physical activity and medical screening tests but there was little to no effect for other health behaviours, such as improved diet or reduced tobacco use (20,139 participants in 54 RCTs). For body function outcomes, interactive social media interventions may result in small but important positive effects, such as a small but important positive effect on weight loss and a small but important reduction in resting heart rate (4521 participants in 30 RCTs). Interactive social media may improve overall well-being (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.14 to 0.79, moderate effect, low-certainty evidence) demonstrated by an increase of 3.77 points on a general well-being scale (from 1.15 to 6.48 points higher) where scores range from 14 to 70 (3792 participants in 16 studies). We found no difference in effect on psychological outcomes (depression and distress) representing a difference of 0.1 points on a standard scale in which scores range from 0 to 63 points (SMD -0.01, 95% CI -0.14 to 0.12, low-certainty evidence, 2070 participants in 12 RCTs). We also compared studies assessing interactive social media interventions with those with an active but less interactive social media control (11 studies). Four RCTs (1523 participants) that reported on physical activity found an improvement demonstrated by an increase of 28 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week (from 10 to 47 minutes more, SMD 0.35, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.59, small effect, very low-certainty evidence). Two studies found little to no difference in well-being for those in the intervention and control groups (SMD 0.02, 95% CI -0.08 to 0.13, small effect, low-certainty evidence), demonstrated by a mean change of 0.4 points on a scale with a range of 0 to 100. Adverse events related to the social media component of the interventions, such as privacy issues, were not reported in any of our included studies. We were unable to conduct planned subgroup analyses related to health equity as only four studies reported relevant data. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: This review combined data for a variety of outcomes and found that social media interventions that aim to increase physical activity may be effective and social media interventions may improve well-being. While we assessed many other outcomes, there were too few studies to compare or, where there were studies, the evidence was uncertain. None of our included studies reported adverse effects related to the social media component of the intervention. Future studies should assess adverse events related to the interactive social media component and should report on population characteristics to increase our understanding of the potential effect of these interventions on reducing health inequities.

Behavior Change Techniques Included in Reports of Social Media Interventions for Promoting Health Behaviors in Adults: Content Analysis Within a Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Social media are an increasingly commonly used platform for delivering health promotion interventions. Although recent research has focused on the effectiveness of social media interventions for health promotion, very little is known about the optimal content within such interventions, and the active ingredients to promote health behavior change using social media are not clear. Identifying which behavior change techniques (BCTs) are reported may help to clarify the content of interventions using a generalizable terminology that may facilitate future intervention development. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify which BCTs are reported in social media interventions for promoting health behavior change in adults. METHODS: We included 71 studies conducted with adult participants (aged ≥18 years) and for which social media intervention was considered interactive in a Cochrane review of the effectiveness of such interventions. We developed a coding manual informed by the Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy version 1 (BCTTv1) to identify BCTs in the included studies. We identified BCTs in all study arms (including control) and described BCTs in the group and self-directed components of studies. We characterized the dose of delivery for each BCT by low and high intensity. We used descriptive analyses to characterize the reported BCTs. RESULTS: Our data consisted of 71 studies published from 2001 to 2017, mainly conducted in high-income countries (n=65). Most studies (n=31) used tailored, interactive websites to deliver the intervention; Facebook was the most used mainstream platform. In developing our coding manual, we adapted some BCTTv1 instructions to better capture unique nuances of how BCTs were operationalized in social media with respect to likes, retweets, smiles, congratulations, and badges. Social support (unspecified), instruction on how to perform the behavior, and credible source were most frequently identified BCTs in intervention arms of studies and group-delivery settings, whereas instruction on how to perform the behavior was most commonly applied in self-directed components of studies, control arms, and individual participant settings. Instruction on how to perform the behavior was also the most frequently reported BCT in both intervention and control arms simultaneously. Instruction on how to perform the behavior, social support (unspecified), self-monitoring of behavior, information about health consequences, and credible source were identified in the top 5 BCTs delivered with the highest intensity. CONCLUSIONS: This study within a review provides a detailed description of the BCTs and their dose to promote behavior change in web-based, interactive social media interventions. Clarifying active ingredients in social media interventions and the intensity of their delivery may help to develop future interventions that can more clearly build upon the existing evidence.

Assessments of health services availability in humanitarian emergencies: a review of assessments in Haiti and Sudan using a health systems approach.

BACKGROUND: Assessing the availability of health services during humanitarian emergencies is essential for understanding the capacities and weaknesses of disrupted health systems. To improve the consistency of health facilities assessments, the World Health Organization has proposed the use of the Health Resources Availability Mapping System (HeRAMS) developed in Darfur, Sudan as a standardized assessment tool for use in future acute and protracted crises. This study provides an evaluation of HeRAMS' comprehensiveness, and investigates the methods, quality and comprehensiveness of health facilities data and tools in Haiti, where HeRAMS was not used. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Tools and databases containing health facilities data in Haiti were collected using a snowball sampling technique, while HeRAMS was purposefully evaluated in Sudan. All collected tools were assessed for quality and comprehensiveness using a coding scheme based on the World Health Organization's health systems building blocks, the Global Health Cluster Suggested Set of Core Indicators and Benchmarks by Category, and the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. Eight assessments and databases were located in Haiti, and covered a median of 3.5 of the 6 health system building blocks, 4.5 of the 14 Sphere standards, and 2 of the 9 Health Cluster indicators. None of the assessments covered all of the indicators in any of the assessment criteria and many lacked basic data, limiting the detail of analysis possible for calculating standardized benchmarks and indicators. In Sudan, HeRAMS collected data on 5 of the 6 health system building blocks, 13 of the 14 Sphere Standards, and collected data to allow the calculation of 7 of the 9 Health Cluster Core Indicators and Benchmarks. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to agree upon essential health facilities data in disrupted health systems during humanitarian emergencies. Although the quality of the assessments in Haiti was generally poor, the large number of platforms and assessment tools deployed suggests that health facilities data can be collected even during acute emergencies. Further consensus is needed to establish essential criteria for data collection and to establish a core group of health systems assessment experts to be deployed during future emergencies.

Monitoring the ability to deliver care in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of health facility assessment tools.

INTRODUCTION: Health facilities assessments are an essential instrument for health system strengthening in low- and middle-income countries. These assessments are used to conduct health facility censuses to assess the capacity of the health system to deliver health care and to identify gaps in the coverage of health services. Despite the valuable role of these assessments, there are currently no minimum standards or frameworks for these tools. METHODS: We used a structured keyword search of the MEDLINE, EMBASE and HealthStar databases and searched the websites of the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the International Health Facilities Assessment Network to locate all available health facilities assessment tools intended for use in low- and middle-income countries. We parsed the various assessment tools to identify similarities between them, which we catalogued into a framework comprising 41 assessment domains. RESULTS: We identified 10 health facility assessment tools meeting our inclusion criteria, all of which were included in our analysis. We found substantial variation in the comprehensiveness of the included tools, with the assessments containing indicators in 13 to 33 (median: 25.5) of the 41 assessment domains included in our framework. None of the tools collected data on all 41 of the assessment domains we identified. CONCLUSIONS: Not only do a large number of health facility assessment tools exist, but the data they collect and methods they employ are very different. This certainly limits the comparability of the data between different countries' health systems and probably creates blind spots that impede efforts to strengthen those systems. Agreement is needed on the essential elements of health facility assessments to guide the development of specific indicators and for refining existing instruments.

Migration and health in Canada: health in the global village.

BACKGROUND: Immigration has been and remains an important force shaping Canadian demography and identity. Health characteristics associated with the movement of large numbers of people have current and future implications for migrants, health practitioners and health systems. We aimed to identify demographics and health status data for migrant populations in Canada. METHODS: We systematically searched Ovid MEDLINE (1996-2009) and other relevant web-based databases to examine immigrant selection processes, demographic statistics, health status from population studies and health service implications associated with migration to Canada. Studies and data were selected based on relevance, use of recent data and quality. RESULTS: Currently, immigration represents two-thirds of Canada's population growth, and immigrants make up more than 20% of the nation's population. Both of these metrics are expected to increase. In general, newly arriving immigrants are healthier than the Canadian population, but over time there is a decline in this healthy immigrant effect. Immigrants and children born to new immigrants represent growing cohorts; in some metropolitan regions of Canada, they represent the majority of the patient population. Access to health services and health conditions of some migrant populations differ from patterns among Canadian-born patients, and these disparities have implications for preventive care and provision of health services. INTERPRETATION: Because the health characteristics of some migrant populations vary according to their origin and experience, improved understanding of the scope and nature of the immigration process will help practitioners who will be increasingly involved in the care of immigrant populations, including prevention, early detection of disease and treatment.

Equity-oriented toolkit for health technology assessment and knowledge translation: application to scaling up of training and education for health workers.

Human resources for health are in crisis worldwide, especially in economically disadvantaged areas and areas with high rates of HIV/AIDS in both health workers and patients. International organizations such as the Global Health Workforce Alliance have been established to address this crisis. A technical working group within the Global Health Workforce Alliance developed recommendations for scaling up education and training of health workers. The paper will illustrate how decision-makers can use evidence and tools from an equity-oriented toolkit to scale up training and education of health workers, following five recommendations of the technical working group. The Equity-Oriented Toolkit, developed by the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Knowledge Translation and Health Technology Assessment in Health Equity, has four major steps: (1) burden of illness; (2) community effectiveness; (3) economic evaluation; and (4) knowledge translation/implementation. Relevant tools from each of these steps will be matched with the appropriate recommendation from the technical working group.

Creating and testing the concept of an academic NGO for enhancing health equity: a new mode of knowledge production?

CONTEXT: Collaborative action is required to address persistent and systematic health inequities which exist for most diseases in most countries of the world. OBJECTIVES: The Academic NGO initiative (ACANGO) described in this paper was set up as a focused network giving priority to twinned partnerships between Academic research centres and community-based NGOs. ACANGO aims to capture the strengths of both in order to build consensus among stakeholders, engage the community, focus on leadership training, shared management and resource development and deployment. METHODS: A conceptual model was developed through a series of community consultations. This model was tested with four academic-community challenge projects based in Kenya, Canada, Thailand and Rwanda and an online forum and coordinating hub based at the University of Ottawa. FINDINGS: Between February 2005 and February 2007, each of the four challenge projects was able to show specific outputs, outcomes and impacts related to enhancing health equity through the relevant production and application of knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The ACANGO initiative model and network has demonstrated success in enhancing the production and use of knowledge in program design and implementation for vulnerable populations.