CGPH FACULTY: Lia Fernald
DATE OF PUBLICATION: August 2015
REGION: Latin America
REFERENCE: Hamad R, Fernald LC. Microcredit participation and women’s health: results from a cross-sectional study in Peru. Int J Equity Health. 2015 Aug 5;14:62. doi: 10.1186/s12939-015-0194-7.
SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Social and economic conditions are powerful determinants of women’s health status. Microcredit, which involves the provision of small loans to low-income women in the hopes of improving their living conditions, is an increasingly popular intervention to improve women’s socioeconomic status. Studies examining the health effects of microcredit programs have had mixed results. These results demonstrate a positive association between length of microcredit participation and measures of women’s psychological health, but not physical health. These findings contribute to the discussion on the potential of microcredit programs to address the socioeconomic determinants of health, and suggest that addressing socioeconomic status may be a key way to improve women’s health worldwide.
ACCESS: Link to Pubmed