Socioeconomic inequalities in health: Measurement, computation, and statistical inference

Kakwani, Nanak; Wagstaff, Adam; Doorslaer, Eddy van

doi:10.1016/s0304-4076(96)01807-6

Cited by 1,050 publications

(1,059 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Then if i r is the fractional rank of individual i in the income distribution (or whatever measure of household resources is being used), the concentration index  is the mean value of the health variable (Kakwani et al, 1997). C can take on a value from -1 to +1, where a negative (positive) value indicates that the health variable is concentrated among the relatively poor (rich).…”

Section: The Concentration Indexmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship Between Low Birth Weight and Socioeconomic Status in Ireland

Madden

2013

J. Biosoc. Sci.

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Abstract:There is now fairly substantial evidence of a socioeconomic gradient in low birthweight for developed countries. The standard summary statistic for this gradient is the concentration index. Using data from the recently published Growing Up in Ireland survey, this paper calculates this index for low birthweight arising from preterm and intrauterine-growth-retardation. It also carries out a decomposition of this index for the different sources of low birthweight and finds that income inequality appears to be less important for the case of preterm births, while fathers education and local environmental conditions appear to be more relevant for IUGR. The application of the standard Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition also indicates that the socioeconomic gradient for all sources of birthweight appear to arise owing to different characteristics of rich and poor, and not because the return to characteristics differ between rich and poor.

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Section: The Concentration Indexmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship Between Low Birth Weight and Socioeconomic Status in Ireland

Madden

2013

J. Biosoc. Sci.

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“…For our variables of utilization of long-term care services we are interested in measuring horizontal inequity, i.e., a measure of equality in LTC access adjusted for need variables (Kakwani et al, 1997). Assuming that y i is a linear and additively separable function of need (x k ) and non-need (z p ) covariates as follows:…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inequity in long-term care use and unmet need: Two sides of the same coin

García-Gómez

Hernández-Quevedo²,

Jiménez-Rubio

et al. 2015

Journal of Health Economics

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International studies have shown evidence on inequity in use of health services of different kinds, depending on the type of health care service analysed. However, equity in the access to long-term care (LTC) services has received much less attention. We investigate the determinants of several LTC services and the existence of unmet need by the disabled population using unique data from a survey conducted on the disabled population in Spain in 2008. We further measure the level of horizontal inequity using methods based on the Concentration Index, a widely used indicator of income-related inequality in health. At the time of the analysis, only those respondents with the highest dependency level were covered by the recently introduced universal LTC system, which allows us to explore whether inequities remain for this subgroup of the population. In addition, we compare results using self-reported versus a more objective indicator of unmet needs. Evidence suggests that after controlling for a wide set of need variables, there is not an equitable distribution of use and unmet need of LTC services in Spain, with socioeconomic status being an important factor in access to LTC. We find that individuals at the higher end of the income distribution utilize a relatively larger share of formal services (provided by a professional), while intensive informal care (provided by friends and family) is concentrated among the worst-off. In terms of unmet needs for LTC services, their distribution depends on the service considered as well as on whether we focus on subjective or objective measures. Interestingly, for the population covered by the new universal LTC system, inequities in most LTC services and unmet needs remain statistically significant and even increase for certain services, in particular, formal services provided by professionals. JEL classification codes: I14, 138, J14

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“…The Newey-West [18] estimator was used to correct standard errors for the autocorrelation induced by the fractional rank variable [9]. Estimates of C 1 -C 2 and their standard errors were obtained directly by using OLS to estimate eqn (3).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In much the same way as the concentration index itself can be computed easily by means of a convenient regression of health on the fractional rank [9], so too can the concentration index difference be computed by means of a simple artificial regression:…”

Section: Some Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

What difference does the choice of SES make in health inequality measurement?

2003

Self Cite

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SummaryThis Note explores the implications for measuring socioeconomic inequality in health of choosing one measure of SES rather than another. Three points emerge. First, whilst similar rankings in the two the SES measures will result in similar inequalities, this is a sufficient condition not a necessary one. What matters is whether rank differences are correlated with health-if they are not, the measured degree of inequality will be the same. Second, the statistical importance of choosing one SES measure rather than another can be assessed simply by estimating an artificial regression. Third, in the 19 countries examined here, it seems for the most part to make little difference to the measured degree of socioeconomic inequalities in malnutrition among under-five children whether one measures SES by consumption or by an asset-based wealth index.

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Socioeconomic inequalities in health: Measurement, computation, and statistical inference

Cited by 1,050 publications

References 13 publications

The Relationship Between Low Birth Weight and Socioeconomic Status in Ireland

The Relationship Between Low Birth Weight and Socioeconomic Status in Ireland

Inequity in long-term care use and unmet need: Two sides of the same coin

What difference does the choice of SES make in health inequality measurement?

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