Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34281051›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2021

Leaving No Child Behind: Decomposing Socioeconomic Inequalities in Child Health for India and South Africa.

Olufunke A Alaba, Charles Hongoro, Aquina Thulare, Akim Tafadzwa Lukwa

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Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

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5citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Olufunke A AlabaHealth Economics Unit, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.
Charles HongoroDevelopmental, Capable and Ethical State, Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
Aquina ThulareNational Department of Health, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
Akim Tafadzwa LukwaHealth Economics Unit, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town 7925, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-2534-3731

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development argues for the combating of health inequalities within and among countries, advocating for "leaving no one behind". However, child mortality in developing countries is still high and mainly driven by lack of immunization, food insecurity and nutritional deficiency. The confounding problem is the existence of socioeconomic inequalities among the richest and poorest. Thus, comparing South Africa's and India's Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of 2015/16, this study examines socioeconomic inequalities in under-five children's health and its associated factors using three child health indications: full immunization coverage, food insecurity and malnutrition.

methodsErreygers Normalized concentration indices were computed to show how immunization coverage, food insecurity and malnutrition in children varied across socioeconomic groups (household wealth). Concentration curves were plotted to show the cumulative share of immunization coverage, food insecurity and malnutrition against the cumulative share of children ranked from poorest to richest. Subsequent decomposition analysis identified vital factors underpinning the observed socioeconomic inequalities.

resultsThe results confirm a strong socioeconomic gradient in food security and malnutrition in India and South Africa. However, while full childhood immunization in South Africa was pro-poor (-0.0236), in India, it was pro-rich (0.1640). Decomposed results reported socioeconomic status, residence, mother's education, and mother's age as primary drivers of health inequalities in full immunization, food security and nutrition among children in both countries.

conclusionsThe main drivers of the socioeconomic inequalities in both countries across the child health outcomes (full immunization, food insecurity and malnutrition) are socioeconomic status, residence, mother's education, and mother's age. In conclusion, if socioeconomic inequalities in children's health especially food insecurity and malnutrition in South Africa; food insecurity, malnutrition and immunization in India are not addressed then definitely "some under-five children will be left behind".

Indexed as

Child HealthMalnutritionChildHumansIndiaSocioeconomic FactorsSouth Africachild healthdecomposing socioeconomic inequalitiesfood insecurityimmunizationmalnutritionunder-fiveUniversal Health Coverage

Identifiers

PMID34281051
PMCPMC8296912

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.