Examining changes in maternal and child health inequalities in Ethiopia

International Journal for Equity in Health

Research

Elizabeth M. Foster¹  Huihui Wang¹  Colin Andrews¹  Qaiser Khan¹  Alemayehu A. Ambel¹  Anne M. Bakilana² 

[1] The World Bank, 1818 H Street, 20046, Washington, DC, USA;The World Bank, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;

关键词: Maternal and child health;    Health inequalities;    Health care utilization;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12939-017-0648-1

 received in 2016-10-30, accepted in 2017-08-14,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundEthiopia has made considerable progress in maternal, newborn, and child health in terms of health outcomes and health services coverage. This study examined how different groups have fared in the process. It also looked at possible factors behind the inequalities.MethodsThe study examined 11 maternal and child health outcomes and services: stunting, underweight, wasting, neonatal mortality, infant mortality, under-5 mortality, measles vaccination, full immunization, modern contraceptive use by currently married women, antenatal care visits, and skilled birth attendance. It explored trends in inequalities by household wealth status based on Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 2000, 2005, 2011, and 2014. The study also investigated the dynamics of inequality, using concentration curves for different years. Decomposition analysis was used to identify the role of proximate determinants.ResultsThe study found substantial improvements in health outcomes and health services: Although there is still a considerable gap between the rich and the poor, inequalities in health services have been reduced. However, child nutrition outcomes have mainly improved for the rich. The changes observed in wealth-related inequality tend to reflect the changing direct effect of household wealth on child health and health service use.ConclusionsThe country’s efforts to improve access to health services have shown some positive results, but attention should now turn to service quality and to identifying multisectoral interventions that can change outcomes for the poorest.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017

【 图 表 】

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