This is the largest global compilation on health inequality

2023-04-20 20:00:03

• Over the past decade, inequality in health has increased between rich and poor countries.
• Striking a better balance could help save the lives of 1.8 million children.
• In high-income countries, hypertension is more common among men than women, and obesity rates are similar between the two genders.

After years of research, we finally got the largest database on global inequality on the planet. This is work headed by the World Health Organization. Contains disaggregated data and evidence on population health and its determinants. This is valuable information that is worth knowing and analyzing.

The repository allows you to keep track of the health inequalities by population groups and over time. At the same time, it breaks down the data according to group characteristics, from their level of education to their ethnicity.

Inequality in health between rich and poor is increasing

From the data in the repository it is clear that, in just a decade, The gap between rich and poor in terms of health service coverage for women, newborns, and children in low- and middle-income countries has nearly halved. It also indicates that eliminating wealth-related inequality in under-five mortality in these countries could help save the lives of 1.8 million children.

Did you know❓ The WHO Health Inequality Data Repository is the largest global collection of inequality data about health and its determinants.

How can inequality data save lives?

By identifying who is being left behind ????https://t.co/bxtt1TPnVu #HealthForAll pic.twitter.com/UM2Ns9RppC

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) April 20, 2023

He Health Inequality Data Repository (HIDR) includes nearly 11 million data points and is made up of 59 data sets from more than 15 sources. The data includes measures of more than 2,000 indicators disaggregated by 22 dimensions of inequality, including demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic factors.

The repository covers topics such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), COVID-19, reproductive and maternal and child health, vaccination, HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, nutrition, nursing care, health, non-communicable diseases and environmental health. The largest global compilation on health inequality can be downloaded at this link.

“The ability to target services to those who need them most is key to promoting health equity and improving lives. Conceived as a one-stop-shop for data on health inequality, the Repository will allow us to move from just counting births and deaths to disaggregating health data by sex, age, education level or region, among many other criteria.” declared Dr. Tedros Adhanom, WHO Director-General.

However, we still do not have disaggregated data on many health indicators and, when available, they are more often than not disaggregated only by sex and, to a lesser extent, by age and place of residence. For example, only 170 of the 320 indicators of the Global Health Observatory collect statistics related to health, are disaggregated. And of these, 116, that is, two thirds, are broken down solely by sex.

Other health data of interest

Although limited, the disaggregated data available show important patterns in terms of inequality. In high-income countries, hypertension is more common among men than among women, and obesity rates are similar between men and women. On the other hand, in low-income countries, hypertension rates are similar between women and men, but obesity rates are higher among women than among men.

The repository also shows inequalities in national responses to COVID-19. In 2021, in more than a third of the 90 countries for which data were available, vaccination coverage among the population group with the highest level of education was at least 15 percentage points higher than among the group with the lowest level .

With the publication of the HIDR, WHO is calling on countries to adopt routine monitoring of health inequality, make disaggregated data publicly available, expand data collection, and increase capacity for analysis and reporting. reports.

Inequality analyzes should be conducted regularly at global, national and subnational levels, integrating health inequality monitoring into global and national goals, indicators and targets, as well as performance assessments health. WHO is determined to work with countries and partners to annually update and expand this resource.

Also read:

The IMSS will fight to eradicate inequality in health towards women

Pay inequality in health: Women earn 24% less than men

World health: Main problems that will occur during the next decade