We identified three primary mechanisms of spillovers : reduced disease transmission , social proximity and substitution of re sources within households .
We found the strongest evidence for spillovers through reduced disease transmission , particularly vaccines and mass drug administration .
In general , the proportion of a population receiving an intervention was associated with improved health .
We found evidence of publication bias for certain spillover estimates but not for total or direct effects .
Conclusions We found the strongest evidence for spillovers from vaccines and mass drug administration to control infectious disease .
There was little high quality evidence of spillovers for other interventions
Background Many interventions delivered to improve health may benefit not only direct recipients but also people in close physical or social proximity .
Our objective was to review all published literature about the spillover effects of interventions on health outcomes in low-middle income countries and to identify methods used in estimating these effects .
Promoting Transparency in Social Science Research
Social scientists should adopt higher transparency st and ards to improve the quality and credibility of research . There is growing appreciation for the advantages of experimentation in the social sciences . Policy-relevant cl aims that in the past were backed by theoretical arguments and inconclusive correlations are now being investigated using more credible methods . Changes have been particularly pronounced in development economics , where hundreds of r and omized trials have been carried out over the last decade . When experimentation is difficult or impossible , research ers are using quasi-experimental design s. Governments and advocacy groups display a growing appetite for evidence -based policy-making . In 2005 , Mexico established an independent government agency to rigorously evaluate social programs , and in 2012 , the U.S. Office of Management and Budget advised federal agencies to present evidence from r and omized program evaluations in budget requests ( 1 , 2 )
We identified three primary mechanisms of spillovers : reduced disease transmission , social proximity and substitution of re sources within households .
We found the strongest evidence for spillovers through reduced disease transmission , particularly vaccines and mass drug administration .
In general , the proportion of a population receiving an intervention was associated with improved health .
We found evidence of publication bias for certain spillover estimates but not for total or direct effects .
Conclusions We found the strongest evidence for spillovers from vaccines and mass drug administration to control infectious disease .
There was little high quality evidence of spillovers for other interventions
Background Many interventions delivered to improve health may benefit not only direct recipients but also people in close physical or social proximity .
Our objective was to review all published literature about the spillover effects of interventions on health outcomes in low-middle income countries and to identify methods used in estimating these effects .