Usha Ram

Biographic Data

ID4155897
NAMEUsha Ram
GIVEN NAMESUsha
FAMILY NAMERam
SIGNATURERAM U
AFFILIATIONSInternational Institute for Population Sciences
ORCID0000-0001-6722-7347
VERIFIEDYes
TOTAL WORKS34
TOTAL CITATIONS7
AUTHOR COUNT34
EDITOR COUNT0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR2009
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2025
H-INDEX2

  • The Role of Public Health Services in Reducing Maternal and Newborn Health Inequalities in Urban India

    Open AccessAndrea Katryn Blanchard, Ramesh Banadakoppa Manjappa et al.ARTICLEJournal of Urban Health2025

    India has experienced rapid urbanisation, straining the healthcare system. The National Urban Health Mission was launched in 2013 to improve access to public healthcare, particularly among socio-economically disadvantaged urban populations. This study aimed to assess whether inequalities in maternal and newborn health (MNH) service coverage and outcomes between richer and poorer groups have improved at public and private sources across urban Indi…

  • Making the health system work for over 25 million births annually

    Open AccessHimanshu Bhushan, Usha Ram et al.ARTICLEBMJ Global Health2024

    INTRODUCTION: India's progress in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality since the 1990s was faster than the regional average. We systematically analysed how national health policies, services for maternal and newborn health, and socioeconomic contextual changes, drove these mortality reductions. METHODS: The study's mixed-methods design integrated quantitative trend analyses of mortality, intervention coverage and equity since the 1990s, using…

  • A tale of two exemplars

    Open AccessUsha Ram, Banadakoppa M Ramesh et al.ARTICLEBMJ Global Health2024

    BACKGROUND: India's progress in reducing maternal and newborn mortality since the 1990s has been exemplary across diverse contexts. This paper examines progress in two state clusters: higher mortality states (HMS) with lower per capita income and lower mortality states (LMS) with higher per capita income. METHODS: We characterised state clusters' progress in five characteristics of a mortality transition model (mortality levels, causes, health in…

  • Socioeconomic and demographic predictors of high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma and heart disease among adults engaged in various occupations

    Open AccessSunita Patel, Usha Ram et al.ARTICLEJournal of Biosocial Science2020

    In India, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for nearly 62% of all deaths in 2016. Four NCDs – high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma and heart disease – together accounted for over 34% of these deaths. Using data from two rounds of the India Human Development Surveys (IHDSs), levels and changes in the prevalence rates of the four NCDs (based on diagnosed cases) among adults aged 15–69 years in India between 2004–05 and 2011–12 were examin…

  • Factors Associated with Disposable Menstrual Absorbent Use Among Young Women in India

    Usha Ram, Ram Ram et al.ARTICLEInternational Perspectives on…2020

    CONTEXT: Hygienic use of absorbent products during menstruation is a challenge for young women in India, especially among the underprivileged, who lack knowledge and access to resources. Reuse of menstrual absorbents can be unhygienic and result in adverse health and other outcomes. METHODS: Data from the 2015-2016 National Family Health Survey-4 for 233,606 menstruating women aged 15-24 were used to examine levels and correlates of exclusive use…

  • Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders, 1990–2016

    Open AccessValery L Feigin, Emma Nichols et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet Neurology2019

    BACKGROUND: Neurological disorders are increasingly recognised as major causes of death and disability worldwide. The aim of this analysis from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 is to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date estimates of the global, regional, and national burden from neurological disorders. METHODS: We estimated prevalence, incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs;…

  • Past, present, and future of global health financing

    Open AccessAlenda Y Chang, Angela Y Chang et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2019

    BACKGROUND: Comprehensive and comparable estimates of health spending in each country are a key input for health policy and planning, and are necessary to support the achievement of national and international health goals. Previous studies have tracked past and projected future health spending until 2040 and shown that, with economic development, countries tend to spend more on health per capita, with a decreasing share of spending from developme…

  • Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality and life expectancy, 1950–2017

    Open AccessDaniel Dicker, Grant Nguyen et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2018

    BACKGROUND: Assessments of age-specific mortality and life expectancy have been done by the UN Population Division, Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UNPOP), the United States Census Bureau, WHO, and as part of previous iterations of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD). Previous iterations of the GBD used population estimates from UNPOP, which were not derived in a way that was internally consistent wit…

  • Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980–2017

    Open AccessGregory A Roth, D Abate et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2018

    BACKGROUND: Global development goals increasingly rely on country-specific estimates for benchmarking a nation's progress. To meet this need, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 estimated global, regional, national, and, for selected locations, subnational cause-specific mortality beginning in the year 1980. Here we report an update to that study, making use of newly available data and improved methods. GBD …

  • Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016

    Open AccessMax Griswold, Max G Griswold et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2018

    BACKGROUND: Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for death and disability, but its overall association with health remains complex given the possible protective effects of moderate alcohol consumption on some conditions. With our comprehensive approach to health accounting within the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016, we generated improved estimates of alcohol use and alcohol-attributable deaths and disability-adjus…

  • Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017

    Open AccessJeffrey D Stanaway, Ashkan Afshin et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2018

    BackgroundThe Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 comparative risk assessment (CRA) is a comprehensive approach to risk factor quantification that offers a useful tool for synthesising evidence on risks and risk–outcome associations. With each annual GBD study, we update the GBD CRA to incorporate improved methods, new risks and risk–outcome pairs, and new data on risk exposure levels and risk–outcome associatio…

  • Measuring performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational locations

    Open AccessNancy Fullman, Jamal A Yearwood et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2018

    BACKGROUND: A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. Examining where gains have occurred or progress has faltered across and within countries is crucial to guiding decisions and strategies for future improvement. We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) to assess personal health-care access and quality with the Healthc…

  • Measuring progress from 1990 to 2017 and projecting attainment to 2030 of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals for 195 countries and territories

    Open AccessR Lozano, Nancy Fullman et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2018

    BACKGROUND: Efforts to establish the 2015 baseline and monitor early implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight both great potential for and threats to improving health by 2030. To fully deliver on the SDG aim of "leaving no one behind", it is increasingly important to examine the health-related SDGs beyond national-level estimates. As part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2…

  • Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017

    Open AccessL James, Spencer L James et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2018

    BACKGROUND: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017) includes a comprehensive assessment of incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 354 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017. Previous GBD studies have shown how the decline of mortality rates from 1990 to 2016 has led to an increase in life expectancy, an ageing global population, and an expansion of the non-fatal…

  • Measuring progress and projecting attainment on the basis of past trends of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries

    Open AccessNancy Fullman, Ryan M Barber et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2017

    BACKGROUND: The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are grounded in the global ambition of "leaving no one behind". Understanding today's gains and gaps for the health-related SDGs is essential for decision makers as they aim to improve the health of populations. As part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016), we measured 37 of the 50 health-related SDG indicators over the period 1990-2016 for 188…

  • Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990–2016

    Open AccessTheo Vos, Amanuel Alemu Abajobir et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2017

    BACKGROUND: As mortality rates decline, life expectancy increases, and populations age, non-fatal outcomes of diseases and injuries are becoming a larger component of the global burden of disease. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) provides a comprehensive assessment of prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 328 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016. METHO…

  • Smoking prevalence and attributable disease burden in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2015

    Open AccessMarissa B Reitsma, Nancy Fullman et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2017

    BACKGROUND: The scale-up of tobacco control, especially after the adoption of the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, is a major public health success story. Nonetheless, smoking remains a leading risk for early death and disability worldwide, and therefore continues to require sustained political commitment. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) offers a robust platform through which global, regional, and na…

  • Healthcare Access and Quality Index based on mortality from causes amenable to personal health care in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2015

    Open AccessRyan M Barber, Nancy Fullman et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2017

    BACKGROUND: National levels of personal health-care access and quality can be approximated by measuring mortality rates from causes that should not be fatal in the presence of effective medical care (ie, amenable mortality). Previous analyses of mortality amenable to health care only focused on high-income countries and faced several methodological challenges. In the present analysis, we use the highly standardised cause of death and risk factor …

  • Estimates of global, regional, and national morbidity, mortality, and aetiologies of diarrhoeal diseases

    Open AccessChristopher Troeger, Mohammad H Forouzanfar et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet Infectious Diseases2017

    BACKGROUND: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015) provides an up-to-date analysis of the burden of diarrhoeal diseases. This study assesses cases, deaths, and aetiologies spanning the past 25 years and informs the changing picture of diarrhoeal disease worldwide. METHODS: We estimated diarrhoeal mortality by age, sex, geography, and year using the Cause of Death Ensemble Model (CODEm), a modelling platfor…

  • Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990–2016

    Open AccessEmmanuela Gakidou, Ashkan Afshin et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2017

    BACKGROUND: The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) provides a comprehensive assessment of risk factor exposure and attributable burden of disease. By providing estimates over a long time series, this study can monitor risk exposure trends critical to health surveillance and inform policy debates on the importance of addressing risks in context. METHODS: We used the comparative risk assessment framework dev…

  • Global, regional, and national under-5 mortality, adult mortality, age-specific mortality, and life expectancy, 1970–2016

    Open AccessHaidong Wang, Amanuel Alemu Abajobir et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2017

    BACKGROUND: Detailed assessments of mortality patterns, particularly age-specific mortality, represent a crucial input that enables health systems to target interventions to specific populations. Understanding how all-cause mortality has changed with respect to development status can identify exemplars for best practice. To accomplish this, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) estimated age-specific and …

  • Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (Dalys) for 333 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (Hale) for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016

    Open AccessSimon I Hay, Amanuel Alemu Abajobir et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2017

    BACKGROUND: Measurement of changes in health across locations is useful to compare and contrast changing epidemiological patterns against health system performance and identify specific needs for resource allocation in research, policy development, and programme decision making. Using the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016, we drew from two widely used summary measures to monitor such changes in population health: di…

  • Gender, Marital Status, and Mental Health

    Open AccessLisa Strohschein, Usha RamARTICLEJournal of Family Issues2017Cited by: 4References: 60

    Received wisdom says marriage correlates with better health, but men derive a greater benefit than do women. These perceptions persist even though the latter, known as the sex role hypothesis, no longer receives unqualified support. Some researchers attribute declining evidence for the sex role hypothesis to greater gender equality. Such arguments, however, may best apply to Western, developed countries where gains in women's status have been lar…

  • Global, regional, national, and selected subnational levels of stillbirths, neonatal, infant, and under-5 mortality, 1980–2015

    Open AccessHaidong Wang, Zulfiqar A Bhutta et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2016

    BACKGROUND: Established in 2000, Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG4) catalysed extraordinary political, financial, and social commitments to reduce under-5 mortality by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. At the country level, the pace of progress in improving child survival has varied markedly, highlighting a crucial need to further examine potential drivers of accelerated or slowed decreases in child mortality. The Global Burden of Disease 2015 …

  • Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life-years (Dalys) for 315 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (Hale), 1990–2015

    Open AccessNicholas J Kassebaum, Megha Arora et al.ARTICLEThe Lancet2016

    BACKGROUND: Healthy life expectancy (HALE) and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) provide summary measures of health across geographies and time that can inform assessments of epidemiological patterns and health system performance, help to prioritise investments in research and development, and monitor progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We aimed to provide updated HALE and DALYs for geographies worldwide and evaluate ho…