Does child gender determine household decision for health care in rural Thatta, Pakistan?

BACKGROUND: In South Asia, gender disparity in child mortality is highest in Pakistan. We examined the influence of child gender on household decision regarding health care. METHODS: Prevalence ratios were calculated for 3740 children aged 1-59 months from 92 randomly selected villages of rural Pakistan using a cluster-adjusted log-binomial model. Level 1 variables included child and household characteristics and level 2 included village characteristics. RESULTS: There were 25 more girl deaths than boys per 1000 live births (95% CI: 13.9, 48.6) among post-neonates and 38 more among children aged 12-59 months (95% CI: 10.5, 65.5). However, in adjusted analysis, gender was not a significant predictor of illness reporting, visit to health facilities, choice of provider, hospitalization and health expenditure. Significant predictors of health care were child's age, illness characteristics, number of children in the family, household socio-economic status and absence of girls' school in the village. CONCLUSIONS: Differential care seeking for boys and girls is not seen in Thatta despite clear differences in mortality ratios. This calls for more creative research to identify pathways for gender differential in child mortality. Factors identified as influencing child health care and amenable to modification include poverty alleviation and girls' education.

Maternal chronic ill health negatively affects child survival in a poor rural population of Pakistan.

Pakistan ranks fourth globally in terms of absolute numbers of under-5 deaths. Although several determinants of child deaths have been identified, the possibility of an association between mother's health and under-5 deaths has not been assessed in Pakistan. We compared data on 106 deceased children 0-59 months old with those on 3718 live children, using a cross-sectional survey of 2276 households among 99 randomly selected villages in Thatta, a rural district of Pakistan. We examined the association between self-reported maternal health status and under-5 deaths, using the SUDAAN statistical package to account for cluster sampling technique. Three models for logistic regression analysis were Model-1: demographic factors, Model-2: household socio-economic factors and Model-3: demographic and household socio-economic factors. Mothers of deceased children were 60% more likely to report chronic illnesses than mothers of live children after controlling for child's age, mother's age and type of house (final Model-3 analysis) (adjusted odds ratio [aOR; 95% confidence interval]: 1.6 [1.01, 2.5]). The association of self-reported maternal ill health with under-5 deaths in Thatta suggests the role of maternal health in child survival. Child survival strategies should include screening and treating mothers for common chronic illnesses. This is particularly important in a setting where only a quarter of chronically ill mothers seek care outside the home.

Health status of the Pakistani population: a health profile and comparison with the United States.

OBJECTIVES: The health status of the Pakistani population was compared with that of the US population to provide a better understanding of the health problems in a developing nation and shed light on the dynamics of selected diseases. METHODS: Results from the National Health Survey of Pakistan (n = 18,315) and the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 31,311) were compared. Standardized and comparable methods were used in both surveys. RESULTS: Indicators of undernutrition among children were high throughout Pakistan. Among adults, there were urban-rural differences and economic gradients in indicators of undernutrition and risk factors for heart disease and cancer. In comparison with the US population, the Pakistani population has a higher rate of undernutrition, a lower rate of high cholesterol, and an approximately equal rate of high blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: There are major inequalities in health within Pakistan and between Pakistan and the United States. Standardized national health examination survey methodology can be used to monitor health status and plan health transition policy in developing countries.

Neighborhood context and cardiovascular disease risk factors: the contribution of material deprivation.

This paper investigates whether neighborhood material deprivation is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (physical inactivity, diabetes, smoking, body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol) independent of individual socioeconomic status (SES) in Black, Mexican-American, and White women and men aged 25-64 using data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994, N = 9,961). The data were linked to 1990 Census tract characteristics (unemployment, car ownership, rented housing, crowded housing), which were used to construct a neighborhood-level material deprivation index. Results are stratified by gender and race/ethnicity. Multiple logistic and linear regression models were specified using SUDAAN to account for the clustered design. In general, residence in a deprived neighborhood increased the probability of having an adverse CVD risk profile, independent of an individual's SES. For example, after adjusting for SES, Black women living in deprived neighborhoods were at increased risk of being diabetic, being a smoker, and having a higher body mass index and blood pressure compared to Black women living in less deprived neighborhoods (P values <.05). Stronger associations were found between neighborhood deprivation and CVD risk factors in Blacks than in Mexican Americans despite living in similarly deprived neighborhoods. Neighborhood deprivation may influence CVD risk factors through a variety of mechanisms including the availability of healthy environments, municipal services, and political/cultural characteristics. Policies and interventions that address the socioeconomic context in which people live might reduce inequalities in CVD risk factors.

Occurrence of hip fractures and socioeconomic position.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine hip fracture incidence in the older U.S. White population as a function of their socioeconomic position. METHODS: A sample of 5,161 White, hip fracture cases, 50 years and older, was selected using data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey for 1989-91. Median annual household income by ZIP Code of residence based on the 1990 Census was used as the measure of socioeconomic position. Fracture rates were calculated by age, sex, and income groups ranging from under $20,000 to $40,000 and more. RESULTS: A weighted, least squares analysis found a significant linear decrease in rates with increasing income after controlling for age and sex. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that hip fracture incidence varies as a function of the income level of the ZIP Code area where the population resides. Implications for targeting prevention programs within local areas with low median income are discussed.

The widening gap in death rates among income groups in the United States from 1967 to 1986.

Death rates in the United States have fallen since the 1960s, but improvements have not been shared equally by all groups. This study investigates the change in inequality in mortality by income level from 1967 to 1986. Comparable death rates are constructed for 1967 and 1986 using National Mortality Followback Surveys as numerators and National Health Interview Surveys as denominators. Direct age-adjusted death rates are calculated for income levels for the U.S. noninstitutionalized civilian population 35 to 64 years old. A summary measure of inequality in mortality adjusts for differences in the size and definition of income groups in the two years. In both 1967 and 1986, mortality decreased with each rise in income level. Measured in relative terms, this inverse relationship was greater in 1986 then in 1967 for men and women, blacks and whites. Between 1967 and 1986, death rates for those with maximal income declined between two and three times more rapidly than did rates for the middle and low income groups. The greatest increase in relative inequality was seen among white males.

Potentially avoidable hospitalizations: inequalities in rates between US socioeconomic groups.

OBJECTIVES: The National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) was used to evaluate potentially avoidable hospital conditions as an indicator of equity and efficiency in the US health care system. METHODS: With the use of 1990 data from the NHDS, the National Health Interview Survey, and the census, national rates of hospitalization were calculated for avoidable conditions by age, race, median income of zip code, and insurance status. RESULTS: An estimated 3.1 million hospitalizations were for potentially avoidable conditions. This was 12% of all hospitalizations in 1990 (excluding psychiatric admissions, women with deliveries, and newborns). Rates of potentially avoidable hospitalizations were higher for persons living in middle- and low-income areas than for persons living in high-income areas, and were higher among Blacks than among Whites. These class and racial differences were also found among the privately insured. Differences among income and racial groups for persons aged 65 and over were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Inequalities in potentially avoidable hospitalizations suggest inequity and inefficiency in the health care delivery system. Avoidable hospital conditions are a useful national indicator to monitor access to care.

Prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance and plasma glucose levels in U.S. population aged 20-74 yr.

The prevalence of physician-diagnosed diabetes and of undiagnosed diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) that meet National Diabetes Data Group (NDDG) and World Health Organization (WHO) criteria have been estimated for the U.S. population aged 20-74 yr from the 1976-1980 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This survey included a demographic/medical history questionnaire administered in the participant's home and a detailed examination composed of a physician's exam, special clinical procedures, other tests, and collection of blood and urine specimens. Survey participants were selected from 1970 census data through a stratified multistage probability sampling scheme. Of 17,390 eligible residents aged 20-74 yr, 15,357 (88.3%) participated in the interview and are the basis for estimates of diagnosed diabetes; 11,858 (68%) participated in the exam. A half sample of 5901 examinees was selected to receive a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) performed in the morning after an overnight 10- to 16-h fast. Of these examinees, valid OGTT data were obtained for 3772 people without a medical history of diabetes, and these are the basis for estimates of undiagnosed diabetes and IGT. The major reasons for incomplete OGTT data were inability of participants to attend the examination center in the morning and lack of adherence to the fasting instructions. Despite the relatively low response rates, evidence is presented that data on both the interviewed sample and those receiving the OGTT, when adjusted for the 1970-1980 census characteristics by age, race, sex, income, and geographic location, are representative of the U.S. population. Extrapolation of these data to the U.S. population aged 20-74 yr indicates a total diabetes prevalence of 6.6% by NDDG criteria, or more than 8 million people with diabetes. The prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes (3.2%) was almost equal to that of previously diagnosed diabetes (3.4%). Total rates of diabetes increased with age, from 2.0% at age 20-44 yr to 17.7% at age 65-74 yr. Rates were approximately equal by sex but were greater in Blacks than in Whites. The prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes by WHO criteria (3.4%) was similar to that by NDDG criteria, but the rate of impaired glucose tolerance (11.2%) was more than twice the NDDG estimate (4.6%). Both obesity and parental history of diabetes were associated with significantly higher rates of diabetes and IGT. Fasting plasma glucose was relatively insensitive to age, but 1-h and 2-h post-75-g glucose values increased significantly with age.

International criteria for the diagnosis of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance.

International agreement on classification and criteria for the diagnosis of diabetes is highly desirable. Two systems promulgated in 1979-80 and widely used today are those of the NIH National Diabetes Data Group (NDDG) and of the World Health Organization (WHO). Although these systems are similar in many ways, certain discrepancies between them result in different classifications of oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) results and different estimates of prevalence of the various glucose tolerance groups. Analysis of 3704 OGTTs performed during a survey of a national probability sample of U.S. residents without known diabetes and aged 20-74 yr shows that the two systems agreed in classification of 87.7% of OGTTs. For the remainder, the NDDG and WHO classifications differed, primarily because nondiagnostic OGTTs occur in the NDDG system but not in the WHO system. The differences resulted in the prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) using WHO criteria (11.6%) being more than twice that using NDDG criteria (4.9%), although prevalence rates of diabetic OGTTs were similar in both systems (3.6%, 3.4%). The WHO system represents a simpler, inclusive classification scheme, and there is insufficient evidence from longitudinal studies of prognostic differences that would justify the more complicated NDDG diagnostic criteria. In situations where multiple venipunctures or retesting are not possible, the venous plasma glucose concentration at 2 h after 75 g glucose appears to be the most appropriate single value to use to designate whether a person has diabetes, IGT, or neither. The use of this value alone placed 97% of diabetic subjects and all other subjects, in the same class they were in when the full WHO criteria were used.