scholarly journals A review on mHealth research in developing countries

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wallace Chigona ◽  
Mphatso Nyemba ◽  
Andile Metfula

Governments and development agencies are advocating mobile technology as a potential tool for developing and improving livelihoods, especially in developing countries where traditional technologies have failed to gain ground for wide ranging reasons. It is, therefore, understandable that the use of mobile technology in health care (mHealth) is growing in developing countries. Healthcare is one of the challenges facing developing countries, with the majority of the countries still lagging behind in most of the health related Millennium Development Goals (MDG) (Goals 4, 5 and 6). Due to the nascence of the domain, research in the domain is still in its infancy and, as such, there is little evidence to support the claims about the impact of the technology. The aim of this paper is to analyse the progress of mHealth as well as the progress of the research in the domain in developing countries. Data for the study are mHealth papers presented at the Third Mobile for Development (M4D) Conference which took place in India between 28th and 29th February 2012. The review notes the following about research in mHealth in developing countries: (i) Most interventions are patient-facing; this provides opportunities for using mHealth to empower the public; (ii) The interventions use a growing range of technological solutions; (iii) Most research still focuses on pilot projects as opposed to scaled-up projects and (iv) Research in the domain still lacks rigour.

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
P Van Den Hazel

Abstract The Global Burden of Disease is the most comprehensive effort to date to measure epidemiological levels and trends worldwide. It is the product of a global research collaborative and quantifies the impact of hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors in countries around the world. The publication published in The Lancet on September 12, 2017, namely the study, “Measuring progress and projecting attainment on the basis of past trends of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries: an analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016,” is the starting point to discuss the health-related SDG indicators as develop by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and Global Burden of Disease collaborators. The projected increases in mortality are steep for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other chronic diseases. Non-communicable diseases are increasingly recognized as major causes of death and disability worldwide. The question is whether the targets in the SDGs are sufficiently addressing these increases. Or are demographic changes underlying the projected increases? Health related SDGs have been addressed in a tool made by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Results on air pollution, smoking, unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene are presented by current and projected data in an interactive tool.


2006 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 555-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. B. ATKINSON

The UN commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 poses a major challenge. It is, first and foremost, a political challenge to wealthy countries, to provide the necessary transfer of resources, and to developing countries, to make effective use of these transfers. But it is also an intellectual challenge, to economists and other scientists, to better understand the processes by which the MDGs can be achieved. This article focuses on two aspects. On the substantive side, it examines how we can achieve increased funding for development, particularly via new methods of finance, such as global taxes. On the intellectual side, it describes how a new branch of economics is developing – global public finance – that can contribute to the analysis of new sources of funding for the MDGs and of the working of the global economy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuoluwapo A. Durokifa ◽  
Babatunde Moshood Abdul-Wasi

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was implemented in 2000 ostensibly to accelerate development within its 15 years plan of action. In the credence of this notion, Nigeria was one of the early countries that adopted the rational policy. Prior to the introduction of MDG, the country had implemented diverse developmental policies which are said not to have delivered the expected dividend. Hence, no sooner, the MDGs came to an end; the impulse of another developmental goal became necessary. Sustainable development Goals (SDGs) succeeding MDGs reiterates questions such as, how well did MDGs perform in developing countries? Where the aims of the MDGs met? If MDGs struggle to achieve 8 goals, how possible will SDGs 17 goals be realized? It is in this light, that the study using secondary data evaluate the MDG era in Nigeria, how far and how well they achieved their set target. The study suggests that although MDGs era in Nigeria recorded slight progress with regards to targeted goals, it did not meet the required plausible targets. Hence, as a very effective way of achieving sustainable development, the study recommends good governance and prioritizing of goals according to the country needs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 72-82
Author(s):  
Lizzie Caperon ◽  
Lina Brand-Correa

This study explores the under-researched link between clean energy and public health outcomes, and offers new insights into the link between wider access to clean energy and progress towards health outcomes, in particular the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes. This is the first study to consider the impact of a run-of-river hydropower plant (RORHP) in a remote rural community in Zambia in relation to health outcomes. Exploring this relationship establishes how the health benefits which renewable energy can bring can be capitalised upon to meet the health-related objectives of the United Nations sustainable development goals. Workshops and semi-structured interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders including community members, health workers, business owners, and key people involved with the plant, to establish health and social impacts of the introduction of electricity in the community of Ikelenge. Findings are used to establish both synergies and trade-offs of the RORHP on the health of the community, and recommendations are made for the continued improvement of health following the introduction of the RORHP, to achieve further progress towards meeting SDG targets.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bissane Harb ◽  
Dina Sidani

Purpose In light of the emphasis on “inclusion” in the sustainable development goals (SDGs), the notion of social inclusion encompasses the goal of granting opportunities for disabled people, integrate them and make them participate in the new environment. Referring to the capability theory, the purpose of this study is to examine the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in the social inclusion of disabled young people in Lebanon. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a qualitative approach based on a series of focused semi-structured interviews with 11 participants occupying key positions in aid associations for disabled people. Findings The findings suggest that smart technologies can enhance social inclusion through three key factors: the nature of impairment and other personal characteristics of disabled people, the resources available to them and the environmental aspects provided by government policies and society’s cultural practices. In the contemporary society characterized by an increasing role of ICTs, the findings of this research could contribute to lead the developing countries to a sustainable and inclusive world through social inclusion of their youth. Research limitations/implications This study has some limitations that should be mentioned. First, it was conducted only on a small sample size (with 11 interviewees). Further empirical research must be conducted on larger sample to build and elaborate on the findings. Second, the results are mainly based on the points of view of people working in aid associations for disabled people. In future research, semi-structured interviews can be carried out with the disabled people themselves or with members of their family to ask them about their personal experience with smart technologies and the impact of this on their social inclusion. It was also suggested that the future research should explore the challenges of inclusion for different categories of disabled people separately because they are not all facing the same issues and the same challenges. Furthermore, as this paper focuses on the role of smart technologies in the development of social inclusion of disabled people, future research could take place with other groups, for example, Palestinian and Syrian refugees, to identify whether these groups are experiencing similar challenges and barriers when trying to use smart technologies as a way to enhance their social inclusion. Practical implications Related to a larger and broader approach, social inclusion of disabled or marginalized people or refugees in developing countries could be a way to commit to a sustainable and inclusive world, in alignment with the eight goals of the Millennium Development Goals. Originality/value Related to a larger and broader approach, social inclusion of disabled or marginalized people or refugees in developing countries could be a way to commit to a sustainable and inclusive world, in alignment with the eight goals of the Millennium Development Goals.


Author(s):  
Adebusuyi Isaac Adeniran

This chapter examines the impact of the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS), a socio-economic framework for enabling sustainable human development in Nigeria, and how it incorporates the basic targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) into government policy at both the national and grassroots levels. The chapter draws on the results of a study that was conducted to assess the specific impacts of the NEEDS policy in the process of improving the condition of existence in Nigeria by promoting socio-economic inclusivity. It considers the achievements of the NEEDS, the impediments that have constrained its functioning, and the lessons that have been or could be learnt from related achievements and failures of past development policies in Nigeria. It also offers some recommendations to make the NEEDS more effective in addressing the challenges and threats posed by poverty and other social incongruence in Nigeria.


The Lancet ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 381 ◽  
pp. S16
Author(s):  
Agnes Binagwaho ◽  
Fidele Ngabo ◽  
Cathy Mugeni ◽  
Corine Karema ◽  
Maurice Gatera ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 539
Author(s):  
Tendai Chiguware

The Millennium Development Goals were a rather a bold initiate meant to curtail rising levels of poverty in developing countries. While the intention of the MDGs has been roundly praised, what has beenquestioned is the capacity of the respective governments to implement and achieve the stated goals. Conceptually, there were also questions about a program with uniform indicators that did not take cognisance of disparities within countries. However, the design of the MDGs did not raise as much questions as the execution of them. In recent, there have also been questions on the possibility and efficacy of achieving the MDG. While there were always doubts about the capacity of the international community to raise the requisite resources to achieve the MDGs, there were always undercurrents of the capacity of beneficiary countries to implement the goals. Further, the study argues that the prevailing development discourse in Zimbabwe entrenched in the use and dependence of donor agencies and their respective implementing NGOs further reduced the chances of the MDGs, and consequently, sustainable development ever being achieved in the country.


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