To access the full PDF click here.
Congress Update
Cape Town Congress … the most highly rated and diverse Congress ever!
Nearly 1,300 people from 97 different countries gathered in Cape Town to participate in Pre-Congress sessions (8th-9th July 2023) and/or the main IHEA Congress (10th-12th July 2023). This reflects a diversification of delegates given that the 2017 and 2019 Congresses in Boston and Basel respectively drew delegates from 70 countries, while the virtual 2021 Congress had participants from 80 countries.
Stating the obvious … location matters. Nevertheless, it is remarkable that 28% of delegates were from Africa compared to 5% in 2017, 7% in 2019 and 9% in 2021. This highlights the importance of rotating the Congress host city across regions:
- This was the first IHEA Congress to be held in Africa;
- One Congress has been held in Asia (Beijing in 2009);
- One has been held in Oceania (Sydney in 2013);
- None have yet been held in Latin America and the Caribbean;
- Seven have been in Europe;
- Four have been in Northern America (i.e. the USA or Canada); and …
- One Congress has been fully virtual (2021).
There were more Pre-Congress sessions (22) than at any previous IHEA Congress, and the post-Congress survey indicates that more Congress delegates participated in Pre-Congress sessions than previously (69% in 2023, compared with 65% in 2019 and only 41% in 2017). Recordings of most of these sessions can be found here.
The Congress program consisted of opening and closing plenaries (see recordings of these plenary sessions here), 218 concurrent oral presentation sessions and poster viewing during refreshment and lunch breaks. Abstracts for oral and poster presentations were selected through a competitive and rigorous peer-review process. The acceptance rate of individual abstracts submitted by health economists residing in high-income and upper-middle-income countries has declined since 2017, and conversely increased for those in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, particularly in Africa. Acceptance rates for health economists in high-income countries remain higher than for other countries.
The post-Congress survey indicated a higher satisfaction rating for the 2023 Congress than any previous IHEA Congress, achieving an average rating of 4.5 (rating scale from 1=very dissatisfied to 5=very satisfied). It was also rated more highly on every aspect (from satisfaction with the venues, social events and food and beverages, to satisfaction with the plenary sessions and quality of papers in concurrent sessions) than all previous Congresses for which data is available. There were also high levels of satisfaction with efforts to implement the IHEA Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policy, such as providing an inclusive environment in Congress sessions and networking spaces.
While these results are encouraging, there is still much to be done to promote diversity in the Congress, IHEA as an association and the health economics profession. We encourage you to review the full Congress report which will be posted on the IHEA website shortly, view the opening plenary session on Diversifying Health Economics and engage in discussions on social media and other forums on EDI issues.
Congress Program and Abstract Book
The PDF Program and Abstract book from our Cape Town Congress are now available online! As a reminder these, as well as all historical Congress programs, are available under our past congresses section here (scroll down to access).
IHEA Congress Recordings
Our Pre-Congress session recordings are now available here! A reminder that our opening and closing plenaries are available online for anyone to view on our YouTube channel!
For those who registered to attend the Congress, session recordings are available on the online program (you have to login to view them). Once logged in, simply navigate to a session and scroll down to view the recording. Our provider is still finalizing some recordings, so if the one you are looking for is not yet available, it will be in the coming week!
IHEA Special Taiwan Virtual Congress Session Recording: Accelerating Digital Health
A Taiwan special session titled “Accelerating Digital Health: The Digital Transformation Of Taiwan’s Single-Payer National Health Insurance “ was held virtually on July 7. This session focused on the impact of the digital transformation of Taiwan’s single-payer NHI on health care in Taiwan – the recording can be accessed online here.
Health Workforce SIG Update
The Health Workforce SIG had a meeting and dinner in Cape Town, with a few colleagues joining the meeting remotely. Health workforce issues are of rising importance with worldwide burnout and shortages following the COVID-19 pandemic. There were many sessions on health workforce topics during the Congress covering a range of topics and contexts. The SIG looks forward to more interaction over the next two years before we meet in Calgary!
The SIG is looking to expand its leadership team! If you’d like to play a leading role in the SIG, either as an overall coordinator or to plan a single event, please write to Joanne Spetz at joanne.spetz@ucsf.edu.
Message from the Economics of Children’s Health & Wellbeing Special Interest Group Convenors
A big thank you to everyone who joined the Economics of Children’s Health & Wellbeing Special Interest Group (E-CHW SIG) members’ meeting during the IHEA 2023 World Congress in Cape Town. The dynamic engagement and collective energy of researchers committed to advancing the ‘economics of children’s health & wellbeing’ field was truly inspiring.
The meeting served as a platform for vibrant discussions, idea-sharing, and the charting of a promising course for our group’s future. Your input has not only shaped the SIG’s direction, but also laid a robust groundwork for their focus, functions, and the exciting activities they have planned ahead. Your presence, insights, and support are greatly appreciated!
Economics of Children’s Health & Wellbeing SIG Research Showcase Event
Join us for an exciting event hosted by the IHEA Economics of Children’s Health and Wellbeing (E-CHW) Special Interest Group! We’re thrilled to extend a warm invitation to our forthcoming E-CHW SIG Research Showcase Event, scheduled for Thursday, 7th September at 8:30PM-9:30PM (Australian Eastern Standard Time)/11:30 AM (UK Time).
This session is designed to bolster the research pursuits of Early and Mid-Career Researchers, including PhD students, and to cultivate international research collaboration, in Economics of Children’s Health and Wellbeing among the E-CHW SIG members. As an added incentive, we’re excited to announce the presentation of a “Best Presentation” award. This award will be conferred to the most outstanding presenter, determined through a participants’ vote on Zoom.
The presentations lined up include:
- Presenter: Alex van Heusden (Melbourne University, Australia)
- Title: Psychometric comparisons of the adapted EQ-5D-Y for 2 to 4-year-olds
- Presenter: Joseph Kwon (Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, UK)
- Title: Psychometric performance of generic childhood multi-attribute utility instruments for preterm and low birthweight populations
- Presenter: Anh Ho (Deakin University, Australia)
- Title: Using discrete choice experiments and best-worst scaling to elicit young people’s preferences for web-based mental health interventions
- Presenter: Katherine Pye (Deakin University, Australia)
- Title: Outcomes most valued by families with autistic children, and the potential impacts of using alternative approaches in economic evaluation.
- Presenter: Ramesh Lamsal (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Canada)
- Title: Expenditures for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Employer-Sponsored Plans
- Presenter: Tan Nguyen (Monash University, Australia)
- Title: Cost-effectiveness analysis on dental caries among children – experiences from ACE-Oral Health Prevention
- Presenter: Yeji Baek (Monash University, Australia)
- Title: The cost-effectiveness of early childhood development intervention in Vietnam
- Presenter: Olu Onyimadu (Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, UK)
- Title: Childhood transitions between weight status categories incorporating complex survey design: Evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study
- Presenter: Corneliu Bolbocean (Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences,Oxford University, UK)
- Title: A Heterogeneity and Decomposition Analysis of Preference-based Health-related Quality of Life Outcomes in Individuals born Very Preterm and Very Low Birthweight Adults: An IPD Meta-analysis
- Presenter: Arjita Chandna/Priya Bhagowali (Jawaharlal Nehru University, India)
- Title: Association between childbirth order and heights
We are excited to gather virtually and explore these thought-provoking presentations. Join us in celebrating research excellence, collaboration, and the future of children’s health and wellbeing economics.
Looking forward to connecting on the 7th of September!
Upcoming Webinars
Measuring The Unmeasurable: DCEs To Value Health For Cost-Utility Analysis
Date: September 7, 2023
Time: 3:00 AM – 4:00 AM EDT; 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM BST; 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM AEST
Featuring speaker: Richard Norman, Curtin University
Richard is a Health Economist with ongoing interest in the economic evaluation of healthcare, the measurement and valuation of quality of life, discrete choice experiments and econometric analysis of large panel datasets. He is a Chief Investigator on projects currently funded by the NHMRC and the ARC. He is an associate editor of Value in Health, and is a permanent member of the Economics Sub-Committee of the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).
Economics Of Adolescent Sexual And Reproductive Health Interventions In Ghana And Senegal (EcASaRH)
Date: September 7, 2023
Time: 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM EDT; 11:30 AM – 12:30PM GMT; 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM BST; 9:30 PM – 10:30 PM AEST
Featuring speaker: Ama Pokuaa Fenny, University of Ghana
The provisional plan is a one hour time slot composed of 5 minutes of initial housekeeping, an approximate 40 minute presentation and 15 minutes for discussion.
Africa’s population is predominantly young, with the majority under 30 years old. In the ECOWAS region, where more than one-third of the population falls between 10 and 24 years old, there is a significant demand for reproductive and sexual health services among the youth. However, many countries lack comprehensive plans to address Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH), including information on intervention costs and resource requirements. To bridge this gap, a study was conducted to identify priority intervention components, estimate their costs, and explore implementation requirements in Ghana and Senegal. The study also assessed funding needs and strategies to implement these interventions in a multi-sectoral approach.
To identify priority interventions, the study used various criteria, including addressing social determinants of adolescent health, sustainability, scalability, and cultural values. The four most crucial interventions were selected for both countries. The costing analysis followed an activity-based approach, estimating costs for a seven-year period in the case of Ghana and average cost per adolescent in the case of Senegal. Ghana’s ASRH funding fluctuated and heavily relied on donors, with the majority of costs going towards enhancing national capacity for integrated family planning and maternal health services. On the other hand, Senegal showed a combination of support from multiple partners for reproductive health services, making it challenging to distinguish funding specifically for adolescent reproductive interventions. In Senegal, the majority costs is for capacity strengthening of adolescents and communication/sensitization to communities. In addition, school-based interventions seem to be less expensive using cost per recipient approach. To overcome budget constraints, the study recommended mobilizing equitable and sustainable domestic resources and engaging stakeholders across sectors like health and education to optimize resource utilization for ASRH interventions in Africa. Cross-learning and experience-sharing among key stakeholders were also emphasized to yield greater future returns on investments in ASRH.
