THE ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH DETERMINANTS WITH SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND DISTRICTS IN AFGHANISTAN

Abstract

Health inequities are explained by the structural and material determinants of health, so an endeavour to achieve good health for the population calls for an examination of such determinants in the country. However, very little is known about the scenario for this in a post-conflict situation. This study examines the distribution of health determinants, identifies the relationship between the structural and material determinants of health, and estimates the effects of the districts on health determinants in Afghanistan. We use probit regression models on the household sample survey data of 2009, 2010 and 2011. The unequal distribution of both structural and material determinants is found to be a contentious issue for the country. The regression results show that the financial improvement and improvement in the overall conditions of the households have a significant positive association with all the material determinants of health for the population, including freedom of movement in a post-conflict country. The effects of the districts are significant for all the determinants of health. Freedom of movement is found to be the most important time invariant structural determinant that affects all the material determinants of the health of the Afghan population. This study indicates the linkages between geographical and socioeconomic variances with the determinants of health in Afghanistan. We intend to re-examine the way in which health is conceptualized within the development framework for the nation.