The projects underway in the Population Health Theme focus on evaluating public health challenges, economic impacts, and cost-effective interventions—primarily in Pakistan and low-to-middle-income countries—spanning childhood malnutrition, non-communicable diseases, and social safety nets.
The projects aim to:
- Model potential policies that governments may consider implementing
- to produce evidence that can be used by governments and international agencies to inform population-level policies on noncommunicable diseases
- Produce evidence on the socioeconomic correlates, determinants, consequences of NCD behavioural risk factors
- Evaluate existing population-level policies on noncommunicable diseases
The following research projects are currently in progress:
- Two systematic reviews of existing research regarding the effectiveness of obesity interventions for children and adolescents in LMICs.
- An investigation into the double burden of malnutrition in Afghanistan.
- An analysis of associations between co-occurring NCD risk behaviors and socio-demographic factors among adolescents in Pakistan.
- An evaluation of the impact of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) cash transfers on health outcomes and healthcare utilisation.
- A study on the impact of out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure on social determinants of health and related health outcomes.
- A modeling study to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of physical activity interventions in Pakistan.
- An assessment of the cost-effectiveness of opportunistic screening for NCD patients in Pakistan.
- An economic evaluation of interventions for road traffic injuries in Pakistan.
Tobacco-related NCDs are a leading cause of preventable death in Pakistan. Taxation can be an effective tool to reduce consumption. This study developed a model to estimate the health and economic impacts of tobacco tax reform, moving from a two-tier system to a single tier.
To address a critical data gap amid rising adolescent obesity and diabetes in Pakistan, this study examines the consumption patterns and sociodemographic of SSB intake.
Pakistan has some of the lowest PA levels in the world, but there is limited understanding of how it is addressed in policies. Using consultative workshops and document analysis, the study maps and evaluates policies in Pakistan.
You can read more about our Population Health Level Intervention work in our recent publications:
View the infographic for: → Women’s age at marriage and obesity in Pakistan ←
- Consumption of commercial and traditional sugar-sweetened beverages among adolescents in Pakistan: evidence from a national survey.
- PROTOCOL: Effectiveness of Interventions for the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity in Children and Adolescents From Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
