Social inequalities in health in Tunisia: a reality whose magnitude is underestimated

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the influence of determinants of health on the extent of socioeconomic inequalities in health. A material and social deprivation index into two versions has been used to assess the magnitude of social inequalities in health in Tunisian population. The results show that the individual version of the index produces differences in healthy life expectancy and life expectancy without disability of greater magnitude than the geographic version. The relative risk of mortality and the proportional risk of disability are increased with deprivation index, used the geographical or individual version. The differences between the two versions are also stronger for the disability for mortality and more marked in interior regions than in larger cities and the coastal regions. Finally, the advantages and limitations of this index are also put into perspective, as are the possibilities it offers for research and decision-making.