Impact of Information and Communication Technology Diffusion on HIV and Tuberculosis Health Outcomes among African Health Systems
Debate regarding the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on health outcomes has prompted researchers to conduct analyses across many parts of the globe, yet, still little is known about the ICT impact in the African continent. Using a robust multivariate approach, this study exa...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Informatics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9709/7/2/11 |
| _version_ | 1797571020112003072 |
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| author | Sunny Ibeneme Frances Lee Revere Lu-Yu Hwang Suja Rajan Joseph Okeibunor Derrick Muneene James Langabeer |
| author_facet | Sunny Ibeneme Frances Lee Revere Lu-Yu Hwang Suja Rajan Joseph Okeibunor Derrick Muneene James Langabeer |
| author_sort | Sunny Ibeneme |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Debate regarding the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on health outcomes has prompted researchers to conduct analyses across many parts of the globe, yet, still little is known about the ICT impact in the African continent. Using a robust multivariate approach, this study examined system-wide impact of ICT diffusion on multiple health outcomes for HIV and tuberculosis among sovereign countries of Africa. This study utilized longitudinal panel data from the World Bank and International Telecommunication Union databases between 2000 and 2016. We relied on a robust linear dynamic panel model to incorporate lagged time variables to estimate the relationships between ICT infrastructure (mobile phone use, internet access, and fixed-telephone subscriptions) and HIV and tuberculosis outcomes. Econometric analyses found that the coefficients of the aggregate ICT variables were all negative (except for fixed telephones) for tuberculosis health measures and HIV prevalence, and positive for access to antiretroviral therapy. The diffusion of mobile phones and internet was associated with decreased incidence of tuberculosis, HIV prevalence, and tuberculosis mortality rates. However, increased diffusion of these three ICT tools was associated with increased access to antiretroviral therapy. Thus, African governments should identify investment strategies for adopting and implementing ICT to improve population health outcomes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:34:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2698d9beac1742e48530a38769bd5696 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9709 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:34:33Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Informatics |
| spelling | doaj.art-2698d9beac1742e48530a38769bd56962023-11-19T21:07:42ZengMDPI AGInformatics2227-97092020-04-01721110.3390/informatics7020011Impact of Information and Communication Technology Diffusion on HIV and Tuberculosis Health Outcomes among African Health SystemsSunny Ibeneme0Frances Lee Revere1Lu-Yu Hwang2Suja Rajan3Joseph Okeibunor4Derrick Muneene5James Langabeer6ICT Department, Federal Ministry of Health Abuja, Abuja 900211, NigeriaSchool of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USASchool of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USASchool of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USAWorld Health Organization—African Regional Office, Brazzaville, CongoWorld Health Organization—African Regional Office, Brazzaville, CongoSchool of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030, USADebate regarding the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on health outcomes has prompted researchers to conduct analyses across many parts of the globe, yet, still little is known about the ICT impact in the African continent. Using a robust multivariate approach, this study examined system-wide impact of ICT diffusion on multiple health outcomes for HIV and tuberculosis among sovereign countries of Africa. This study utilized longitudinal panel data from the World Bank and International Telecommunication Union databases between 2000 and 2016. We relied on a robust linear dynamic panel model to incorporate lagged time variables to estimate the relationships between ICT infrastructure (mobile phone use, internet access, and fixed-telephone subscriptions) and HIV and tuberculosis outcomes. Econometric analyses found that the coefficients of the aggregate ICT variables were all negative (except for fixed telephones) for tuberculosis health measures and HIV prevalence, and positive for access to antiretroviral therapy. The diffusion of mobile phones and internet was associated with decreased incidence of tuberculosis, HIV prevalence, and tuberculosis mortality rates. However, increased diffusion of these three ICT tools was associated with increased access to antiretroviral therapy. Thus, African governments should identify investment strategies for adopting and implementing ICT to improve population health outcomes.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9709/7/2/11AfricatuberculosisHIVinformation and communication technologydiffusion |
| spellingShingle | Sunny Ibeneme Frances Lee Revere Lu-Yu Hwang Suja Rajan Joseph Okeibunor Derrick Muneene James Langabeer Impact of Information and Communication Technology Diffusion on HIV and Tuberculosis Health Outcomes among African Health Systems Informatics Africa tuberculosis HIV information and communication technology diffusion |
| title | Impact of Information and Communication Technology Diffusion on HIV and Tuberculosis Health Outcomes among African Health Systems |
| title_full | Impact of Information and Communication Technology Diffusion on HIV and Tuberculosis Health Outcomes among African Health Systems |
| title_fullStr | Impact of Information and Communication Technology Diffusion on HIV and Tuberculosis Health Outcomes among African Health Systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of Information and Communication Technology Diffusion on HIV and Tuberculosis Health Outcomes among African Health Systems |
| title_short | Impact of Information and Communication Technology Diffusion on HIV and Tuberculosis Health Outcomes among African Health Systems |
| title_sort | impact of information and communication technology diffusion on hiv and tuberculosis health outcomes among african health systems |
| topic | Africa tuberculosis HIV information and communication technology diffusion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9709/7/2/11 |
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