Disparities in child health in the Arab region during the 1990s.

Sonya Meyerson-Knox,Jesse Dawns,Marwan Khawaja,Rouham Yamout

doi:10.1186/1475-9276-7-24

Sonya Meyerson-Knox, Jesse Dawns + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-7-24

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Abstract

BackgroundWhile Arab countries showed an impressive decline in child mortality rates during the past few decades, gaps in mortality by gender and socioeconomic status persisted. However, large socioeconomic disparities in child health were evident in almost every country in the region.MethodsUsing available tabulations and reliable micro data from national household surveys, data for 18 Arab countries were available for analysis. In addition to infant and child mortality, child health was measured by nutritional status, vaccination, and Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI). Within-country disparities in child health by gender, residence (urban/rural) and maternal educational level were described. Child health was also analyzed by macro measures of development, including per capita GDP (PPP), female literacy rates, urban population and doctors per 100,000 people.ResultsGender disparities in child health using the above indicators were less evident, with most showing clear female advantage. With the exception of infant and child survival, gender disparities demonstrated a female advantage, as well as a large urban advantage and an overall advantage for mothers with secondary education. Surprisingly, the countries' rankings with respect to disparities were not associated with various macro measures of development.ConclusionThe tenacity of pervasive intra-country socioeconomic disparities in child health calls for attention by policy makers and health practitioners.

Highlights

While Arab countries showed an impressive decline in child mortality rates during the past few decades, gaps in mortality by gender and socioeconomic status persisted
And policy interest in health disparities and in the relationship between inequality and health status has increased dramatically over the past few decades [1,2,3,4,5,6], but most of it focused on the developed countries [7,8,9,10,11]
An urban advantage was evident in child survival, wasting, stunting and Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI), but not in immunization

Summary

Introduction

While Arab countries showed an impressive decline in child mortality rates during the past few decades, gaps in mortality by gender and socioeconomic status persisted. Large socioeconomic disparities in child health were evident in almost every country in the region. And policy interest in health disparities and in the relationship between inequality and health status has increased dramatically over the past few decades [1,2,3,4,5,6], but most of it focused on the developed countries [7,8,9,10,11]. In the Arab region, several studies documented gender disparities in health, including female disadvantage in survival chances and access to health care for children and older adults [18,19,20,21,22,23].

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Conclusion