Doctoral Dissertation Research in Economics: Risks, Health, and Economic Development: Examining Households' Malaria Control Decisions in Tanzania

经济学博士论文研究：风险、健康和经济发展：检查坦桑尼亚家庭的疟疾控制决策

• 批准号: 0720981
• 负责人: Randall Kramer
• 金额: $ 1.02万
• 依托单位: Duke University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-09-15 至 2008-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0720981&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Economics; Risks

Risks, Health and Economic Development: Examining Household Decisions in TanzaniaPI: Randall Kramer Co-PI: Katherine DickinsonProposal 0720981ABSTRACTUnderstanding why households decide to adopt certain health-related practices, and what barriers may prevent the adoption of potentially beneficial behaviors, is crucial for understanding the process of economic development. This project addresses this question in the context of malaria control in Tanzania, informing an empirically-grounded economic theory of households' health-related decisions through both quantitative and qualitative data collection. Household surveys, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews conducted in 10 villages in rural Mvomero District address a comprehensive set of questions regarding factors influencing: 1) households' exposure to malaria, 2) measures taken to prevent malaria, and 3) treatment-seeking behaviors. In addition to describing what households are doing, this research asks why households engage in certain malaria-related activities. Key factors that are explored include knowledge of the malaria risk and transmission mechanisms, economic conditions influencing costs and benefits of malaria treatment and control, and the role of households' social networks in shaping norms and behaviors. Quantitative data analyses estimate relationships between prevention and control behaviors (e.g., use of bed nets) and the factors outlined above. Additional qualitative analyses focus on describing and explaining the set of priorities that households express. In particular, the approach taken here recognizes that malaria is only one of many health, social, and economic challenges households face, and explores the role of malaria control as part of a household's "portfolio" of activities and behaviors. Finally, this research evaluates the impacts of a participatory community activity on households' knowledge and behaviors, determining the potential for this kind of activity to act as an effective malaria control "tool." More broadly, the research proposed here builds on previous microeconomic studies of households' health-related behavior and acceptance of risks. It adds a new perspective by examining multiple risks simultaneously and addressing how factors such as social networks influence household decisions. This research sheds light on key factors affecting economic development and could help guide policy makers in the affected areas toward more effective interventions.

风险、健康与经济发展：考察坦桑尼亚的家庭决策理解为什么家庭决定采取某些与健康相关的做法，以及哪些障碍可能阻止采取潜在的有益行为，对于理解经济发展的过程至关重要。该项目在坦桑尼亚疟疾控制的背景下解决了这个问题，通过定量和定性数据收集，为家庭健康相关决策提供了基于经验的经济理论。在Mvomero农村地区的10个村庄进行了住户调查、焦点小组讨论和深度访谈，解决了一系列有关影响因素的综合问题：1)家庭接触疟疾的情况；2)为预防疟疾采取的措施；3)寻求治疗的行为。除了描述家庭正在做什么之外，这项研究还询问了家庭为什么从事某些与疟疾有关的活动。探讨的关键因素包括对疟疾风险和传播机制的了解，影响疟疾治疗和控制成本和效益的经济条件，以及家庭社会网络在形成规范和行为方面的作用。定量数据分析估计了预防和控制行为（如使用蚊帐）与上述因素之间的关系。另外的定性分析侧重于描述和解释家庭表达的一系列优先事项。特别是，这里采取的方法认识到疟疾只是家庭面临的许多健康、社会和经济挑战之一，并探讨了疟疾控制作为家庭活动和行为“组合”的一部分的作用。最后，本研究评估了参与式社区活动对家庭知识和行为的影响，确定了这种活动作为有效疟疾控制“工具”的潜力。更广泛地说，这里提出的研究是建立在先前对家庭健康相关行为和风险接受程度的微观经济学研究的基础上的。它通过同时检查多种风险并解决诸如社交网络等因素如何影响家庭决策，增加了一个新的视角。这项研究揭示了影响经济发展的关键因素，可以帮助指导受影响地区的决策者采取更有效的干预措施。