Gender bias in careseeking practices in 57 low– and middle–income countries
نویسندگان
چکیده
BACKGROUND Preventive and curative medical interventions can reduce child mortality. It is important to assess whether there is gender bias in access to these interventions, which can lead to preferential treatment of children of a given sex. METHODS Data from Demographic and Health Surveys carried out in 57 low- and middle-income countries were used. The outcome variable was a composite careseeking indicator, which represents the proportion of children with common childhood symptoms or illnesses (diarrhea, fever, or suspected pneumonia) who were taken to an appropriate provider. Results were stratified by sex at the national level and within each wealth quintile. Ecological analyses were carried out to assess if sex ratios varied by world region, religion, national income and its distribution, and gender inequality indices. Linear multilevel regression models were used to estimate time trends in careseeking by sex between 1994 and 2014. FINDINGS Eight out of 57 countries showed significant differences in careseeking; in six countries, girls were less likely to receive care (Colombia, Egypt, India, Liberia, Senegal and Yemen). Seven countries had significant interactions between sex and wealth quintile, but the patterns varied from country to country. In the ecological analyses, lower careseeking for girls tended to be more common in countries with higher income concentration (P = 0.039) and higher Muslim population (P = 0.006). Coverage increased for both sexes; 0.95 percent points (pp) a year among girls (32.9% to 51.9%), and 0.91 pp (34.8% to 52.9%) among boys. CONCLUSION The overall frequency of careseeking is similar for girls and boys, but not in all countries, where there is evidence of gender bias. A gender perspective should be an integral part of monitoring, accountability and programming. Countries where bias is present need renewed attention by national and international initiatives, in order to ensure that girls receive adequate care and protection.
منابع مشابه
Coliforms Contamination and Hygienic Status of Milk Chain in Emerging Economies
Emerging economies have often poor hygiene practices in traditional milk and dairy production all over the world. Therefore, pathogenic bacteria in milk pose major public health concerns especially for those communities who still consume raw milk. Escherichia coli and coliforms are often used as indicator microorganisms, so their presence in food implies poor hygiene and sanitary practices. The...
متن کاملGender bias in under-five mortality in low/middle-income countries
INTRODUCTION Due to biological reasons, boys are more likely to die than girls. The detection of gender bias requires knowing the expected relation between male and female mortality rates at different levels of overall mortality, in the absence of discrimination. Our objective was to compare two approaches aimed at assessing excess female under-five mortality rate (U5MR) in low/middle-income co...
متن کاملAvoiding Middle-income Trap in Muslim Majority Countries: The Effect of Total Factor Productivity, Human Capital, and Age Dependency Ratio
In 2010, the World Bank categorized countries in per capita gross domestic product in terms of purchasing power parity (at constant 1990 prices) in three categories: low, middle (lower and upper) and high income. If a country caught at least 28 years in lower middle income level and at least 14 years caught in upper middle-income level, then they are trapped in lower middle and upper middle...
متن کاملAchieving Universal Health Coverage by Focusing on Primary Care in Japan: Lessons for Low- and Middle-Income Countries
When the Japanese government adopted Western medicine in the late nineteenth century, it left intact the infrastructure of primary care by giving licenses to the existing practitioners and by initially setting the hurdle for entry into medical school low. Public financing of hospitals was kept minimal so that almost all of their revenue came from patient charges. When social health insurance (S...
متن کاملInitiatives in Medical Volunteerism Aimed at Reducing the Burden of Orthopedic Disease in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
While infectious disease garners much attention and research funding globally, initiatives aimed at treating traumatic orthopedic injuries are underfunded despite such injuries accounting for a significant degree of morbidity worldwide. In recent years, a number of organizations have sought to alleviate this burden through treatment and educational initiatives in low- and middle-income countrie...
متن کامل