Health Services Research Commons^™

Health Aid In Africa: Placement, Service Utilization, And Benefit, Carrie Dolan

Theses and Dissertations

While the health sector has attracted significant foreign aid, evidence on the effectiveness of this support is mixed. This dissertation examines the allocation of health aid within the context of placement, service utilization, and benefit. The first paper examined the sub-national allocation of Chinese development aid projects across Africa. I determined how political preferencing of Chinese aid specifically, allocating aid to the birth region of the current political leader differs across sectors such as health, education, and transportation. I find some evidence that aid, more broadly defined, is subject to political preferencing in recipient countries, which could potentially limit its …

Understanding Over-The-Counter Medication Use And Decision-Making Among Community-Dwelling Us Older Adults: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Yoshita Paliwal

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction

Older adults are regular consumers of over-the-counter (OTC) medications. OTC medications are generally considered safe, and convenient to use without requiring a prescription. However, the safety of an OTC medication and the final health outcome depends in part upon consumers’ perceptions, beliefs, and their decision-making about OTC medication use. The main objectives of this study were: 1) to examine the prevalence and characteristics of OTC medication use among community-dwelling US older adults (65 years and older), 2) to explore older adults’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and experiences about OTC medications, and 3) to elicit the OTC medication decision-making process in …