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News/Event Item
The Info Project - International Journal for Equity in Health 2007
Dec. 20, 2007
By Claire Soares and Daniel Howden
Abstract: Notions of equity are fundamental to, and drive much of the current thinking about global health. Health inequity, however, is usually measured using health inequality as a proxy - implicitly conflating equity and equality. Unfortunately measures of global health inequality do not take account of the health inequity associated with the additional, and unfair, encumbrances that poor health status confers on economically deprived populations. Using global health data from the World Health Organization's 14 mortality sub-regions, a measure of global health inequality (based on a decomposition of the Pietra Ratio) is contrasted with a new measure of global health inequity. The inequity measure weights the inequality data by regional economic capacity (GNP per capita). The least healthy global sub-region is shown to be around four times worse off under a health inequity analysis than would be revealed under a straight health inequality analysis. In contrast the healthiest sub-region is shown to be about four times better off. The inequity of poor health experienced by poorer regions around the world is significantly worse than a simple analysis of health inequality reveals. By measuring the inequity and not simply the inequality, the magnitude of the disparity can be factored into future economic and health policy decision making. (author's)
© 2007 Info - USAID
For full abstract, visit:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071220111516.htm
Full Text:
International Journal for Equity in Health
http://www.equityhealthj.com/content/pdf/1475-9276-6-16.pdf
category: News from Other Sources : General Health News
contributed by Liza Nanni on 21 December 2007
Global :
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