Preface

The current volume focuses on public health in developing societies with particular emphasis on the challenges of public health delivery. Public health, as the name suggests, is about the public sector ownership of health delivery and general access to health mediated by public institutions, agencies and concerted community action. In the developing world, public health seeks to close the gap between health needs of the populace and affordability/availability of clinical health. In other words, apart from its traditional concerns, public health with emphasis on generalised afflictions, epidemics, diseases and infections also seeks to make health services accessible to communities and societies. Incidentally, the crucial issue of equitable access to health services is a much more acute problem in the developing world and public health services are often seen as the last resort of common everyday people who otherwise might find it impossible to access health services. The above situation entails a public health system that is severely overburdened and mostly under-resourced.

Nevertheless, developing nations have demonstrated increasing strengths in their health systems, as illustrated by morbidity and mortality trends in Novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To date, only about 22% of all COVID-19 deaths are from developing countries, yet these countries collectively account for 86% of the global population. Since the turn of the century, and as exemplified by achievements related to the Millennium Development Goals, developing countries have made significant progress in addressing social determinants of health and improving case management standards by taking deliberate, evidence-based and decisive steps.

While the focus on public health in the developing world here would seem intuitively topical and necessary, there is the need to equally appreciate that the health status of these societies ultimately relates to and affects general development. Thus, health and access to health services remain critical indicators of development and social improvement. As a result, the discourse of public health in these societies is also ultimately the discourse of development.

This book, even though it has a titular focus on the developing world, draws its case studies mainly from Sub-Saharan Africa and India. India, interestingly, straddles both the developed and developing world. However, with the second largest population in the world, it presents so much contrast between socio-economic and social groups that equally underlines another contrast in access to health: limited resources and burgeoning needs for public health delivery.

Without doubt, the developing world generally faces a perplexing mixture of inadequate health delivery and predilection towards diseases and infections resulting largely from nutritional challenges, economic status, unequal access to healthcare and epileptic institutional responses to health issues. In the above situation, these nations present formidable health delivery challenges that automatically call attention to the need for a robust and dynamic public health system. Evidently, diseases and afflictions ranging from SARS, coronaviruses,

**II**

**Chapter 8 107**

**Chapter 9 131**

**Chapter 10 145**

**Chapter 11 157**

Case Studies and Country-Specific Issues in Public Health **173**

**Chapter 12 175**

**Chapter 13 189**

**Chapter 14 201**

**Chapter 15 217**

**Chapter 16 245**

Temporal Trend and Inequality in Immunization Coverage in India

Social and Institutional Support in Breast Cancer Management

The Health and Economic Costs of Violence against Women and Girls on Survivors, Their Families, and Communities in Ghana *by Gina Alvarado Merino, Stacey Scriver, Jennifer L. Mueller,* 

*Lila O'Brien-Milne, Ama P. Fenny and Nata Duvvury*

*by Vangal Krishnaswamy Sashindran and Puja Dudeja*

Innovations in Vector-Borne Disease Control in India

*by Susanta Kumar Ghosh and Chaitali Ghosh*

Mitigating the Hazard of Lightning Injury and Death across Africa *by Mary Ann Cooper, Ronald L. Holle and Richard Tushemereirwe*

Leprosy: Prevention and Control

Laser Applications in Periodontology

Development of a Rough Terrain Wheelchair Design *by Ignatio Madanhire, Loice Gudukeya and Roy Mushonga*

*by Vaseem Anjum*

*by Sura Dakhil Jassim*

*by Basant Kumar Panda*

among Elderly Women in Nigeria *by Kenechukwu N. Anugwom*

Obesity in School Children in India

**Section 2**

HIV to the recurrent Ebola all make the imperative of good and effective public health systems unquestionable in these areas. While not necessarily re-echoing the nexus between health and development here, there is no argument that the improvement of health delivery in these nations would have salubrious impacts on development, economic improvements and longevity.

Therefore, in addition to the economics and politics of development in these nations, there is even more urgent need to continuously improve and reposition the public health systems of these nations not only to tackle old and familiar health foes but equally be equipped to proactively deal with new threats and the ever-increasing needs of a rapidly growing population. The above provides general context for the subjects dealt with in the various chapters of this book. While a broad conceptualization of the focus and issues under public health was favoured in this volume, there has also been attempts in some of the chapters to provide unique insights and lessons learnt in specific case studies from different parts of the developing world. Even though these chapters are not mutually reinforcing, they tackle different and critical aspects of public health ranging from health promotion, leprosy, and violence against women to indigenous health systems and breast cancer management.

Hence, the chapters in this volume present both theoretical insights and evidencebased knowledge that is useful to medical/public health practitioners, students, academics and general readers. The subjects treated are as diverse as they are informative and insightful. In addition, the case studies are derived mainly from West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria) and India. For ease of comprehension and flow, chapters are organized into two main parts including sixteen chapters as follows:

Part 1: "General and Crosscutting Issues in Public Health"

Chapter 1: "Introductory Chapter: Public Health Afflictions and Challenges in the Developing World"

Chapter 2: "The Global Burden and Perspectives on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and the Prevention, Data Availability and Systems Approach of NCDs in Low-resource Countries"

Chapter 3: "Non-Communicable Diseases and Urbanization in African Cities: A Narrative Review"

Chapter 4: "Health Promotion and Its Challenges to Public Health Delivery System in Africa"

Chapter 5: "Understanding the Science of Indigenous Health System: Key to Sustainable Collaborations"

Chapter 6: "Public Health Effects of Wood Fuel in Africa: Bioenergy from Tree Commodities as a Sustainable Remedy"

Chapter 7: "Cultural Practices and Health Consequences: Health or Habits, the Choice Is Ours"

**V**

Chapter 9: "Leprosy: Prevention and Control

among Elderly Women in Nigeria"

health operations in developing nations.

in India"

Chapter 10: "Laser Applications in Periodontology"

Part 2: "Case Studies and Country-Specific Issues in Public Health"

Chapter 15: "Obesity in School Children in India"

Chapter 11: "Development of a Rough Terrain Wheelchair Design"

Chapter 12: "Temporal Trend and Inequality in Immunization Coverage

Chapter 13: "Social and Institutional Support in Breast Cancer Management

Chapter 14: "The Health and Economic Costs of Violence against Women and Girls on Survivors, Their Families, and Communities in Ghana"

**Edlyne E. Anugwom, PhD**

Hospital Management Programs,

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

**Niyi Awofeso, PhD**

Professor of Sociology and Development, Department of Sociology and Anthropology,

Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University,

Professor and Chair of Master of Public Health/Master of

Chapter 16: "Innovations in Vector-Borne Disease Control in India"

Public health is the art and science of optimising the health of people and their communities, mainly through promoting healthy lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention, and detecting, preventing and responding to infectious diseases. Many developing countries are increasingly realigning health care, programs and services with the public interest, with significant benefits in terms of poverty reduction, infectious disease control, and improvements in maternal and child health, to mention but a few. There have also been noteworthy challenges along the way, particularly with regards to health system financing. This compendium showcases examples of progress and encumbrances of public

Chapter 8: "Mitigating the Hazard of Lightning Injury and Death across Africa"

Chapter 9: "Leprosy: Prevention and Control

Chapter 10: "Laser Applications in Periodontology"

Chapter 11: "Development of a Rough Terrain Wheelchair Design"

Part 2: "Case Studies and Country-Specific Issues in Public Health"

Chapter 12: "Temporal Trend and Inequality in Immunization Coverage in India"

Chapter 13: "Social and Institutional Support in Breast Cancer Management among Elderly Women in Nigeria"

Chapter 14: "The Health and Economic Costs of Violence against Women and Girls on Survivors, Their Families, and Communities in Ghana"

Chapter 15: "Obesity in School Children in India"

Chapter 16: "Innovations in Vector-Borne Disease Control in India"

Public health is the art and science of optimising the health of people and their communities, mainly through promoting healthy lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention, and detecting, preventing and responding to infectious diseases. Many developing countries are increasingly realigning health care, programs and services with the public interest, with significant benefits in terms of poverty reduction, infectious disease control, and improvements in maternal and child health, to mention but a few. There have also been noteworthy challenges along the way, particularly with regards to health system financing. This compendium showcases examples of progress and encumbrances of public health operations in developing nations.

**Edlyne E. Anugwom, PhD**

Professor of Sociology and Development, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

#### **Niyi Awofeso, PhD**

Professor and Chair of Master of Public Health/Master of Hospital Management Programs, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

**IV**

management.

HIV to the recurrent Ebola all make the imperative of good and effective public health systems unquestionable in these areas. While not necessarily re-echoing the nexus between health and development here, there is no argument that

Therefore, in addition to the economics and politics of development in these nations, there is even more urgent need to continuously improve and reposition the public health systems of these nations not only to tackle old and familiar health foes but equally be equipped to proactively deal with new threats and the ever-increasing needs of a rapidly growing population. The above provides general context for the subjects dealt with in the various chapters of this book. While a broad conceptualization of the focus and issues under public health was favoured in this volume, there has also been attempts in some of the chapters to provide unique insights and lessons learnt in specific case studies from different parts of the developing world. Even though these chapters are not mutually reinforcing, they tackle different and critical aspects of public health ranging from health promotion, leprosy, and violence against women to indigenous health systems and breast cancer

on development, economic improvements and longevity.

Part 1: "General and Crosscutting Issues in Public Health"

Approach of NCDs in Low-resource Countries"

Tree Commodities as a Sustainable Remedy"

in the Developing World"

Cities: A Narrative Review"

Sustainable Collaborations"

System in Africa"

the Choice Is Ours"

across Africa"

the improvement of health delivery in these nations would have salubrious impacts

Hence, the chapters in this volume present both theoretical insights and evidencebased knowledge that is useful to medical/public health practitioners, students, academics and general readers. The subjects treated are as diverse as they are informative and insightful. In addition, the case studies are derived mainly from West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria) and India. For ease of comprehension and flow, chapters are organized into two main parts including sixteen chapters as follows:

Chapter 1: "Introductory Chapter: Public Health Afflictions and Challenges

Chapter 2: "The Global Burden and Perspectives on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and the Prevention, Data Availability and Systems

Chapter 3: "Non-Communicable Diseases and Urbanization in African

Chapter 4: "Health Promotion and Its Challenges to Public Health Delivery

Chapter 5: "Understanding the Science of Indigenous Health System: Key to

Chapter 6: "Public Health Effects of Wood Fuel in Africa: Bioenergy from

Chapter 7: "Cultural Practices and Health Consequences: Health or Habits,

Chapter 8: "Mitigating the Hazard of Lightning Injury and Death

**1**

Section 1

General and Crosscutting

Issues in Public Health
