scholarly journals Exploring socioeconomic inequalities in the use of medicinal herbs among Iranian households: evidence from a national cross-sectional survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Satar Rezaei ◽  
Sina Ahmadi ◽  
Amjad Mohamadi-Bolbanabad ◽  
Ahmad Khanijahani

Abstract Background Association between socioeconomic status and medicinal herbs (MH) are rarely documented in Iran. Our goal was to measure and decompose socioeconomic inequalities in MH use among Iranian households. Methods The data used in this cross-sectional study were extracted from the 2018 Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) (N = 38,859). Data on MH use, age, gender, and education status of the head of household; a constructed wealth index of household (as a proxy for household’s socioeconomic status); and place of residence (urban or rural) were obtained from the survey. Publicly available province-level data on Human Development Index (HDI) were obtained from the Institute for Management Research at Radbound University. We used the concentration curve and the normalized concentration index (Cn) to measure the magnitude of socioeconomic inequalities in MH among Iranian households. The Cn was decomposed to identify the main determinants of socioeconomic inequalities in MH in Iran. Results The overall prevalence of MH use among Iranian households was 4.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.5 to 4.9%) in the last month before data collection. The Cn for MH use for the whole of samples was 0.1519; 95% CI = 0.1254 to 0.1784; suggesting a higher concentration of MH use among the households with high socioeconomic level. The decomposition analysis indicated that the main contributing factors to the concentration of MH use were the economic status of households, development status of the province, and education level of the household head. Conclusions This study demonstrated that MH use is more concentrated among socioeconomically advantaged households in Iran and its provinces. This finding might contrast with the widespread belief that wealthy and socioeconomically advantaged populations, compared to low SES groups, tend to seek disproportionately more modern medical treatments and medications than MH. Understanding the factors affecting MH use, socioeconomic inequality in use of MH and its determinants provide an opportunity for health policymakers to design effective evidence-based interventions among providers and consumers of MH.

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-85
Author(s):  
Suryani Suryani ◽  
Yusran Fauzi ◽  
Fikitri Maya Sari ◽  
Nahari Ratu Cempaka Wilis

Sanitation is intentional behavior in empowering clean life that has the purpose of preventing humans from being in direct contact with dirt and other hazardous waste materials in the hope of maintaining and improving human health. The use of latrines as a place to dispose of human waste is very necessary to avoid and reduce various types of environmental pollution and transmission of diseases, and can support the creation of a clean and healthy environment. This study aims to determine the relationship between the level of knowledge and socioeconomic status of the family head with ownership of family latrines in Gunung Agung Village, Argamakmur City, North Bengkulu. The design of this study uses analytical survey with Cross Sectional approach. The population taken was all family heads in Gunung Agung Village, Argamakmur City, North Bengkulu. Sampling in this study were 85 samples, using proportional random sampling technique, namely 66 samples that had family latrines and 19 samples that did not have family latrines. Data collection in this study uses primary and secondary data with data analysis techniques carried out by univariate and bivariate analysis with Chi-Square test through SPSS program. The results obtained: from 85 household head respondents, it can be seen that there are 66 families (77.6%) who have family latrines, there are 42 families (49.4%) have a sufficient level of knowledge, there are 56 households (65.9%) with the status of Prosperous    Family I. This study shows that there is a significant relationship between the level of knowledge and socioeconomic status of the head of the family with ownership of family latrines in Gunung Agung Village, Argamakmur City, North Bengkulu. Keywords: knowledge of family heads, ownership of family latrines, socio-economic status


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aseye Kpodotsi ◽  
Elizabeth Aku Baku ◽  
Jo Hunter Adams ◽  
Olufunke Alaba

Abstract Background Equitable access to skilled birth attendance during delivery is vital for reducing global maternal deaths to 70 deaths per 100, 000 to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Although several initiatives have been implemented to reduce maternal mortality in Ghana, inequalities in access to skilled birth attendance during delivery still exist among women of different socioeconomic groups. This study assesses the socioeconomic inequalities in access and use of skilled birth attendants during delivery in Ghana. Methods Research was conducted through literature reviews and document reviews, and a secondary data analysis of the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS), a nationally representative survey. A total of 1305 women aged 15–49 years, who had a live birth the year before to the survey in the presence of a skilled birth attendant were analysed using concentration indices and curves. The indices were further decomposed to identify the major socioeconomic factors contributing most to the inequalities. Results The results found that access to skilled birth attendants was more among women from rich households showing a pro-rich utilization. The decomposition analysis revealed that household wealth index, educational level of both mother and husband/partner, area of residence and mother’s health insurance coverage were the major contributing factors to socioeconomic inequalities in accessing skilled birth attendants during child delivery among Ghanaian women. Conclusion This study confirms that a mother’s socioeconomic status is vital to reducing maternal deaths. Therefore, it is worthy to focus attention on policy interventions to reduce the observed inequalities as revealed in the study.


2018 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Omani-Samani ◽  
Amir Almasi-Hashiani ◽  
Saeid Safiri ◽  
Mahroo Rezaeinejad ◽  
Fatemeh Shokri ◽  
...  

BackgroundIran, as one of the low-income and middle-income countries, has experienced a remarkable increase in the caesarean section (CS) rate during the past three decades. Although several studies have been conducted on the prevalence and risk factors affecting CS, but few studies were done regarding socioeconomic factors influencing the CS rate. The aim of this study was to identify socioeconomic inequalities and its determinants in CS in Tehran, capital of Iran.MethodsA population-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 5170 pregnancies in Tehran, since 2015. Principal component analysis was applied to measure the asset-based economic status. Concentration index was used to measure socioeconomic inequality in CS and then decomposed in to its determinants.ResultsThe concentration index and its 95% CI for CS history was 0.102 (0.091 to 0.112). Decomposition of the concentration index showed that economic status had the largest contribution (49.2%) to socioeconomic inequality in CS. Mother’s education (14.9%), father’s occupation (13.3%) and father’s nationality (9.7%) had the next high positive contribution to measured inequality in CS, respectively.ConclusionsCS is mostly concentrated among women with high economic status. The identified contributing factors should be addressed to decrease the socioeconomic inequalities as possible.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254365
Author(s):  
Marioli Y. Farro-Maldonado ◽  
Glenda Gutiérrez-Pérez ◽  
Akram Hernández-Vásquez ◽  
Antonio Barrenechea-Pulache ◽  
Marilina Santero ◽  
...  

Objectives Abdominal obesity (AO) has become a public health issue due to its impact on health, society and the economy. The relationship between socioeconomic disparities and the prevalence of AO has yet to be studied in Peru. Thus, our aim was to analyze the socioeconomic inequalities in AO distribution defined using the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) cut-off points in Peruvian adults in 2018–2019. Methods This was a cross-sectional study using data from the 2018–2019 Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES) of Peru. We analyzed a representative sample of 62,138 adults over 18 years of age of both sexes from urban and rural areas. Subjects were grouped into quintiles of the wealth to calculate a concentration curve and the Erreygers Concentration Index (ECI) in order to measure the inequality of AO distribution. Finally, we performed a decomposition analysis to evaluate the major determinants of inequalities. Results The prevalence of AO among Peruvian adults was 73.8%, being higher among women than men (85.1% and 61.1% respectively, p < 0.001). Socioeconomic inequality in AO was more prominent among men (ECI = 0.342, standard error (SE) = 0.0065 vs. ECI = 0.082, SE = 0.0043). The factors that contributed most to inequality in the prevalence of AO for both sexes were having the highest wealth index (men 37.2%, women 45.6%, p < 0.001), a higher education (men 34.4%, women 41.4%, p < 0.001) and living in an urban setting (men 22.0%, women 57.5%, p < 0.001). Conclusions In Peru the wealthy concentrate a greater percentage of AO. The inequality gap is greater among men, although AO is more prevalent among women. The variables that most contributed to inequality were the wealth index, educational level and area of residence. There is a need for effective individual and community interventions to reduce these inequalities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Abdul Rauf Alhassan ◽  
John Nyaaba Anyinzaam-Adolipore

Background. Each year, not less than three million women are circumcised, and more hundred million females have already been circumcised. In many African societies, the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) is a serious cultural practice. Aim: This current study is aimed at identifying the socioeconomic predictors of female genital mutilation in Ghana. Methods. The design adopted for this study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey relying on data from the Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2017/18. SPSS software was used for data analysis. Chi-square and binary logistic regression were used for associations. Results. Overall FGM prevalence, this study recorded was 11.7%. The region with the highest (50.5%) prevalence was the Upper West Region. Area of residence predicted rural ( AOR = 2.30 ,   95 % C . I . = 1.75 – 3.00 ) Upper West/western Region ( AOR = 1.84 , 95 % C . I . = 1.23 – 2.75 ). In terms of ethnicity, the tribes that predicted FGM when compared with the Akan tribe were Guan ( AOR = 8.91 , 95 % C . I . = 3.53 – 22.51 ), Gruma ( AOR = 6.45 , 95 % C . I . = 2.91 – 14.31 ), Mole-Dagbani ( AOR = 38.10 , 95 % C . I . = 21.20 – 68.49 ), Grusi ( AOR = 45.30 , 95 % C . I . = 24.47 − 83.49 ), Mande ( AOR = 68.58 , 95 % C . I . = 30.85 − 152.42 ), and other tribes ( AOR = 29.33 , 95 % C . I . = 16.11 – 53.39 ). Women in the richest/poorest wealth index quintile ( AOR = 1.80 , 95 % C . I . = 1.19 – 2.72 ). Conclusion. The study prevalence of FGM is still high in the northern part of Ghana, and the predicted factors were residence region, ethnicity, educational level, and economic status.


Author(s):  
Afroja Yeasmin Akhtar Roji ◽  
Santu Maiti

Anaemia is an extremely prevalent condition common in all human of all ages, living in all condition and continents. It has got serious consequences for both the human health as well as the socioeconomic status of the country). Globally, 50% of anemia is attributable to iron deficiency and accounts for approximately 841,000 deaths annually worldwide. According to Ayurveda as well as in modern system of medicine has accepted that Aharaja nidan (diet & regimen) and Viharaja (lifestyle factors) are plays an important role in pathogenesis of Pandu (anaemia). The aim of the study was to identify those factors among the age group 10 to 60 years and to create the awareness to the community in the future. A cross sectional survey study was conducted in 120 patients of Pandu attending the OPD & IPD of Shyamadas Vaidya shastra pith hospital in Kolkata West Bengal, irrespective of their sex, religions & economic status through collecting data by questionnaires and they have been observed on dietary, physical, and psychological factors. The obtaining data revealed that especially female participants, rural as well as urban people, people from low & middle economic status were suffering from Pandu due to inadequate, improper intake of Aharaja & Viraja nidan.  After evaluation of these factors, it can be concluded that, Aharaja & Viharaja nidan had been justified in the pathogenesis of Pandu which was depicted in different Ayurvedic compendium & about the scenario of Nidan in this particular population were suffering from Pandu.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0251847
Author(s):  
Melaku Yalew ◽  
Bezawit Adane ◽  
Yitayish Damtie ◽  
Bereket Kefale ◽  
Reta Dewau ◽  
...  

Background Even though maternal health was highly targeted in different global strategies, maternal mortality could not be decreased as was expected. Besides this, prior decomposition analysis to the possible cause of changes to timely first antenatal booking has not been conducted. Therefore, this study aimed to assess determinants of change in timely first antenatal booking among pregnant women in Ethiopia. Methods The study utilized three consecutive Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) datasets which were collected through cross-sectional study design. The number of pregnant women who gave birth in 2005, 2011 and 2016 survey included in the analysis was 7,307, 7,908 and 7,590 respectively. The data were analyzed by using Stata/SE version 14.0. Logit-based decomposition analysis was done to identify contributing factors for change in timely first antenatal booking and statistical significance was determined by using P-value. Results The trend of timely first antenatal booking was increased from 6% to 20% in the last ten years. The analysis revealed that 14% of the overall change was because of the change in women’s composition. Changes in the composition of women according to region, education and occupation status were the major sources of this change. The remaining, 86% of the change was due to differences in the coefficient. Mostly, the change in behaviors of the Oromia population, those who have lived in the rural areas and male household head were some of the contributing factors for the increase in timely first antenatal booking. Conclusions There was a significant increase in timely first antenatal booking among pregnant women in Ethiopia from 2005 to 2016 EDHS. The change in the women composition according to residency, education and occupation status of women and the difference in behaviors like: behavior of rural residents and male household head contributed to the majority of the change. Interventions targeting the male household head, rural residents and those women who lived in the Oromia region should be emphasized to increase further timely booking. In addition, promoting women in terms of education and creating job opportunities could be the other recalled intervention areas of the country.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-83
Author(s):  
Nadia Tariq ◽  
Tamkeen Jaffry ◽  
Rahma Fiaz ◽  
Abdul Majid Rajput ◽  
Sadaf Khalid

Background: Indoor air pollutants are increasingly being associated with respiratory illnesses leading to high degree of morbidity and mortality. There are not sufficient epidemiological studies from Pakistan which assess level of awareness of indoor air pollution resulting in respiratory diseases in population. Methods: This cross sectional survey was carried out on general population of Rawalpindi/Islamabad. Sample size was 223 study subjects selected by non-probability convenient sampling. Knowledge of the study subjects was determined with regard to indoor air pollution, its effects on health and different sources of indoor air pollution with the help of a questionnaire. The influence of age, gender, educational status and socio economic status on the level of awareness was also analyzed. Results: Out of total 223 participants, 115 were males and108 females. Participants aware of indoor air pollution were 91.5% and adequate awareness about its sources was 80.7%. Those who knew indoor air pollution is detrimental to health were 95.1%. Awareness about building construction dust as source of indoor air pollution was maximum (84.8%). There was significant difference in awareness among participants with different monthly incomes and educational status and also between males and females. Conclusion: This study concludes that general population of Rawalpindi/Islamabad has fairly good awareness about sources of indoor air pollution. Use of harmful material causing indoor air pollution should be limited or substituted with better ones where possible.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-323
Author(s):  
Samar Hossain ◽  
Sharma Priyanka ◽  
Talib Hossain ◽  
Surendra Mohan Mathur

Objective: The last two decades have witnessed an increase in health care costs due to obesity and related issues among children and adolescents. Childhood obesity is a global phenomenon affecting all socio-economic groups, irrespective of age, sex or ethnicity. The study was done to find the the prevalence of obesity and overweight and their association with socioeconomic status (SES) and the risk factors. Materials and Methods: School based cross sectional study carried out over a period of 4 months in three schools of East Delhi. The study was carried out in 629 school children of 10–18 years of age and belonging to different socioeconomic statuses in schools in East Delhi. The obesity and overweight were considered using an updated body mass index reference. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to determine the Socio-economic status and life style factors. Results: The prevalence of overweight among children was higher in middle socioeconomic status groups as compared to high socioeconomic class in both boys and girls whereas the prevalence of obesity was higher in high Socio economic status group as compared to middle socioeconomic group. The prevalence of obesity as well as overweight in low SES group was the lowest as compared to other group. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the prevalence of overweight and obesity varies remarkably with different socioeconomic development levels.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reshma Roshania ◽  
Rakesh Giri ◽  
Melissa Fox Young ◽  
G Sai Mala ◽  
Amy Webb Girard ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of child malnutrition and the determinants of nutrition status among circular migrant families working in the brick industry in Bihar, India, focusing on differences by origin. Methods We used a stratified, cluster sampling design consisting of a cross-sectional survey in 552 randomly selected brick kilns (clusters) throughout Bihar. Circular migration was defined as residence outside the home block for at least 60 days for employment plus at least one home return in the previous year. Per kiln, three circular migrant households with children 0–35 months of age were randomly selected. We collected kiln, household and child-level data including anthropometric measurements for each selected child (n = 1198). Descriptive, bivariate and logistic regression analyses were conducted in SAS. The primary outcomes were stunting (<-2 SD height-for-age z score) and wasting (<-2 SD weight-for-height z score). The primary exposure of interest was intrastate vs. interstate origin; covariates included household wealth index, parity of the mother, and child age and gender. Results Prevalence of stunting was lower among interstate migrants (47%) compared to intrastate migrants (55%, aOR: 0.66, 95%CI: 0.50–0.88). Wasting was higher among interstate migrants (43%) compared to intrastate migrants (34%, aOR:1.51, 95%CI: 1.17–1.94). Among children 6–23 months, 13% had a minimum acceptable diet; MAD was higher among interstate migrants (17%), compared to intrastate migrants (10%) (P = 0.014). Full immunization coverage among circular migrants was 39%, lower than the overall state (62%, NFHS IV). Open defecation was reported by over 90% of circular migrants. Conclusions Our results are likely to inform the ongoing policy discourse on circular migrants’ access to health and nutrition benefits. State of origin emerged as an important predictor of nutrition status, operating differently for acute and chronic malnutrition; we will further explore pathways of nutrition by origin in future analyses. Funding Sources Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.


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