The Determinants of Health Status in Sub-Saharan Africa (Ssa)

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bichaka Fayissa ◽  
Paulos Gutema
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Random Effect Model ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emission ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Availability Index

This study examines the determinants of health status (as measured by life expectancy at birth) in SSA based on the Grossman (1972) theoretical model which considers the economic (the ratio of health expenditure to GDP and the per capita food availability index), social (the illiteracy rate and alcohol consumption), and environmental factors (urbanization rate and carbon dioxide emission per capita index). The coefficients of the health status function are estimated by one-way and two-way panel data analyses. The two-way random-effect model results suggest that a decrease in illiteracy rate and an increase in the food availability index are well positively associated with improvements in life expectancy at birth. Overall results also suggest that a health policy that may focus on the provision of health services, family planning programs, and emergency aids to the exclusion of other demographic issues may serve little in schemes aimed at improving the current health status of the region.

scholarly journals Gender Differential Effects of Health Status on Growth Process in sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-42
Author(s):  
Olufunmilayo Olayemi Jemiluyi ◽  
Abayomi Ayinla Adebayo
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Growth Process ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Method Of Moment ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Gender

This study examines the gender-disaggregated effect of health status on the growth trajectory of sub-Saharan Africa region. The renewed interest in the health status – economic growth nexus stems from the increasing recognition of the importance of health and gender roles in achieving economic growth and sustainable development, particularly in the developing regions of sub-Saharan Africa characterized by poor health, gender inequality and low growth. Health status is proxy by gender-disaggregated data on life expectancy at birth. The study employs the generalized method of moment (GMM) modelling technique, and the result shows that there is gendered differences in the effect of health status on the economic growth process of sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, we find that female life expectancy is positively associated with economic growth. Thus, the study recommends that efforts aimed at promoting health wellbeing in the region should be enhanced. In particular, policies geared towards bridging the gender gap in health should be enacted and implemented.

scholarly journals The Impact of Health Expenditures on Health Outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Nketiah-Amponsah
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Maternal Mortality ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health Expenditure ◽  
Health Expenditures ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Under Five ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Sub Saharan

This article investigates the core macroeconomic and social determinants of health expenditures as well as the effect of health expenditures on select critical health outcomes (life expectancy, under-five mortality and maternal mortality) in recent years in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The study utilizes data on 46 sub-Saharan African countries covering the period 2000–2015. The results indicate that gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, physician per 1,000 population, population aged above 65 years and under-five mortality rate are the most significant determinants of health expenditure in the region. Overall, health expenditure is less income-elastic, not rising as a portion of GDP in wealthier nations. Health expenditure was found to exert a positive and significant impact on all three health outcomes. Specifically, a 1 percent increase in health expenditure per capita resulted in a 0.5 percent reduction in under-five mortality and a 0.35 percent fall in maternal mortality, while improving life expectancy by 0.06 percent. The results suggest that steady increases in health expenditures over time have the tendency to improve health outcomes in SSA.

The influence of health on economic growth from the perspective of sustainable development: a case of OECD countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seda Yıldırım ◽  
Durmus Cagri Yildirim ◽  
Hande Calıskan
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Oecd Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Lower Health

PurposeThis study aims to explain the role of health on economic growth for OECD countries in the context of sustainable development. Accordingly, the study investigates the relationship between health and economic growth in OECD countries.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed cluster analysis and econometric methods. By cluster analysis, 12 OECD countries (France, Germany, Finland, Slovenia, Belgium, Portugal, Estonia, Czech Republic, Hungary, South Korea, Poland and Slovakia) were classified into two clusters as high and low health status through health indicators. For panel threshold analysis, the data included growth rates, life expectancy at birth, export rates, population data, fixed capital investments, inflation and foreign direct investment for the period of 1999–2016.FindingsThe study determined two main clusters as countries with high health status (level) and low health status (level), but there was no threshold effect in clusters. It was concluded that an increase in the life expectancy at birth of countries with higher health status had no significant impact on economic growth. However, the increase in the life expectancy at birth of countries with lower health status influenced economic growth positively.Research limitations/implicationsThis study used data that including period of 1999–2016 for OECD countries. In addition, the study used cluster analysis to determine health status of countries, and then panel threshold analysis was preferred to explain significant relations.Originality/valueThis study showed that the role of health on economic growth can change toward country groups as higher and lower health status. It was proved that higher life expectancy can influence economic growth positively in countries with worse or low health status. In this context, developing countries, which try to achieve sustainable development, should improve their health status to achieve economic and social development at the same time.

scholarly journals The Determinants of Health Status: A Cross-Country Analysis

1994 ◽  
Vol 33 (4II) ◽  
pp. 745-758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rehana Siddiqui ◽  
Mir Annice Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Infant Mortality Rate ◽  
General Level ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Country Analysis ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
The Impact

An analysis of health status is an important aspect of human resource development. Improvements in health do not only improve the productivity of the labour force, but they also help to improve the impact of other forms of human capital formation, e.g. education. In most developing countries health status is difficult to determine as the question arises as to what measures should be used as indicators of health status. At a general level most of the demand or production function considerations are obtained by aggregating over the micro factors. I However, in the case of health status micro and macro measures may not be perfectly correlated; In most cross-country studies life expectancy at birth or the infant mortality rate are taken as indicators of health status. Other measures which can be used to indicate such improvements in health status are age and diseasespecifrc mortality or morbidity and life expectancy. However, the improvement in health status can be observed most obviously from increases in life expectancy which is a better measure for cross country comparison than age and diseasespecific mortality or morbidity, which are more difficult to compare at the international level.

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