title: A potential role of anti-poverty programs in health promotion.
abstract: Poverty is one of the most pervasive risk factors underlying poor health, but is rarely targeted to improve health. Research on the effects of anti-poverty interventions on health has been limited, at least in part because funding for that research has been limited. Anti-poverty programs have been applied on a large scale, frequently by governments, but without systematic development and cumulative programmatic experimental studies. Anti-poverty programs that produce lasting effects on poverty have not been developed. Before evaluating the effect of anti-poverty programs on health, programs must be developed that can reduce poverty consistently. Anti-poverty programs require systematic development and cumulative programmatic scientific evaluation. Research on the therapeutic workplace could provide a model for that research and an adaptation of the therapeutic workplace could serve as a foundation of a comprehensive anti-poverty program. Once effective anti-poverty programs are developed, future research could determine if those programs improve health in addition to increasing income. The potential personal, health and economic benefits of effective anti-poverty programs could be substantial, and could justify the major efforts and expenses that would be required to support systematic research to develop such programs.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 5200 Eastern Avenue, Suite W142, Baltimore 21224, MD, United States. Electronic address: ksilverm@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 5200 Eastern Avenue, Suite W142, Baltimore 21224, MD, United States.
authors.forename: August F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Holtyn
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 5200 Eastern Avenue, Suite W142, Baltimore 21224, MD, United States.
authors.forename: Brantley P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Jarvis
mesh_terms: D006076:Government; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D011203:Poverty; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Anti-poverty interventions; HIV; Health disparities; Incentives; Poverty; Therapeutic workplace; Unemployment