Health impact of non health sectors

The work will be carried out by a U.S. contractor. The project will produce: (1) A set of defined variables and a framework for health analysis, the latter in the form of a disaggregated descriptive model. Health status, health care, sociocultural characteristics, and economic production are some of the components to be incorporated in the framework; definition of other variables will depend on the method of sectoring used. (2) A definition of a set of valid and reliable measures and indicators that will permit estimation of these variables and investigation of their relationships by means of the analytical framework. (3) A "best-present-estimate" of current intersectoral and reciprocal relationships (derived from current literature and adjusted by the analytical framework.) Examples would include estimates of the effect of health care activities, and the impacts on health of urbanization or of defined types of agricultural output. This component will attempt to synthesize a series of general statements from knowledge found in a variety of scattered sources. These statements should prove useful in future field experiments and may help in answering a number of complex questions, e.g., the mix of health care activities to be used in integrated rural projects, or the health impacts of other factors that might be collinear with the introduction of a rural water supply system. (4) A set of hypotheses, indicators, and guidelines which will direct future research efforts aimed at revising the "best-present-estimate" and making it more realistic and useful. (Author abstract, modified)