Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

John Nemecek

Abstract

Neglected tropical diseases (NTD) in low- and middle-income countries are still not on target per the World Health Organization's (WHO) elimination goal of 2020. Mass drug administration (MDA) is one of the effective strategies supported by the WHO for the control and subsequent elimination of NTD. This quantitative study explored how supply chain logistic capacity may be hampering MDA coverage in countries in which the diseases are endemic. The study examined secondary data from WHO data bank for MDA coverage, to quantify the relationship between supply chain logistics capacity, as measured by the World Bank's logistics performance index (LPIs), and the control of NTD using MDA. The ecological theory of health behavior was the theoretical framework for this study. The research questions explored whether a low- and/or middle-income country's supply chain infrastructure, logistics services, customs and border procedures, and supply chain reliability, predict the coverage of MDA in controlling NTD. A multiple regression model determined the linear relations between each predictor: supply chain infrastructure (H1), logistics services (H2), custom and border procedures (H3), and supply chain reliability (H4) and the control of neglected diseases as determine by MDA. Results indicated that supply chain capacity, custom and border processes, and supply chain reliability are statistically significant in predictors of MDA coverage in the control of NTD in developing countries. This study may enhance social change by improving supply chain capacity for more effective distribution of PCT drugs, thus helping with the elimination of NTDs and improved health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.

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