Dynamics of chronic diseases in metro and non-metro regions of India: evidence from India Human Development Survey I and II

ABSTRACT

Background:The growth of metropolitan cities had significantly contributed to the process of urbanization in India. About two-fifth of the urban population, out of total India’s urban population, live in 35 metropolitan cities. It is important to look into the disease dynamics in the population of metro and non-metro regions of India. The study aims to find the differences in the distribution of chronic diseases in metro and non-metro regions of India and depicts the contributions of background factors causing a change in the prevalence of chronic diseases in metro and non-metro regions of India.Methods:Data from India Human Development Survey (IHDS)I and II conducted in 2004 and 2012 respectively have been used. Bivariate analysis has been performed to find the association between independent variables and chronic diseases, and logistic regression has been used to find the effect of predictor variables on chronic diseases by metro and non-metro regions. Fairlie decomposition technique has been used to find the contribution of each predictor variable accounting for differences in chronic diseases between metro and non-metro regions.Results:Age, sex, socio-economic status (education and wealth), alcohol consumption, tobacco consumption, and body mass index status are significantly associated with chronic conditions in metro regions of India. Age, wealth, and developed regions contributed most to the differences in chronic diseases between metro and non-metro areas.Conclusions:Metro regions in India suffers from a massive burden of chronic conditions. Metro regions should be given a special focus to tackle the menace of chronic diseases.