To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the association between a policy aiming to reduce poverty and leprosy treatment outcomes. By linking nationwide data from individuals applying for social programmes in Brazil and analysing data from more than 11 000 new leprosy cases, our study has unprecedented statistical power to study leprosy treatment outcomes. Using a causal inference framework of analysis and propensity score methods to control for socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, we found that receiving PBF benefits was associated with improved adherence to multidrug therapy treatment and increased cure rates. Our results show the public health potential of using linked administrative datasets to study the effect of social policies on the outcomes of rare diseases, including neglected tropical diseases, and provide new evidence of a potential beneficial effect of cash transfer programmes on leprosy treatment and control.
Autoria: Julia Pescarini, Elizabeth Williamson, Joilda Silva Nery, Anna Ramond, Maria Yury Ichihara, Rosemeire Leovigildo Fiaccone.
Periódico: Lancet Infectious Disease
Ano de publicação: 2020