Defining and measuring health inequality: an approach based on the distribution of health expectancy
This paper proposes an approach to conceptualizing and operationalizing the measurement of health inequality, defined as differences in health across individuals in the population. We propose that health is an intrinsic component of well-being and thus we should be concerned with inequality in healt...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The World Health Organization
2000-01-01
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| Series: | Bulletin of the World Health Organization |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862000000100005&lng=en&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1827334501515132928 |
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| author | E.E Gakidou C.J.L Murray J Frenk |
| author_facet | E.E Gakidou C.J.L Murray J Frenk |
| author_sort | E.E Gakidou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper proposes an approach to conceptualizing and operationalizing the measurement of health inequality, defined as differences in health across individuals in the population. We propose that health is an intrinsic component of well-being and thus we should be concerned with inequality in health, whether or not it is correlated with inequality in other dimensions of well-being. In the measurement of health inequality, the complete range of fatal and non-fatal health outcomes should be incorporated. This notion is operationalized through the concept of healthy lifespan. Individual health expectancy is preferable, as a measurement, to individual healthy lifespan, since health expectancy excludes those differences in healthy lifespan that are simply due to chance. In other words, the quantity of interest for studying health inequality is the distribution of health expectancy across individuals in the population. The inequality of the distribution of health expectancy can be summarized by measures of individual/mean differences (differences between the individual and the mean of the population) or inter-individual differences. The exact form of the measure to summarize inequality depends on three normative choices. A firmer understanding of people’s views on these normative choices will provide a basis for deliberating on a standard WHO measure of health inequality. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T17:56:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-29c09e53cec749038d1df15a3cace416 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0042-9686 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T17:56:31Z |
| publishDate | 2000-01-01 |
| publisher | The World Health Organization |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Bulletin of the World Health Organization |
| spelling | doaj.art-29c09e53cec749038d1df15a3cace4162024-03-02T11:50:53ZengThe World Health OrganizationBulletin of the World Health Organization0042-96862000-01-017814254S0042-96862000000100005Defining and measuring health inequality: an approach based on the distribution of health expectancyE.E Gakidou0C.J.L Murray1J Frenk2World Health OrganizationWorld Health OrganizationWorld Health OrganizationThis paper proposes an approach to conceptualizing and operationalizing the measurement of health inequality, defined as differences in health across individuals in the population. We propose that health is an intrinsic component of well-being and thus we should be concerned with inequality in health, whether or not it is correlated with inequality in other dimensions of well-being. In the measurement of health inequality, the complete range of fatal and non-fatal health outcomes should be incorporated. This notion is operationalized through the concept of healthy lifespan. Individual health expectancy is preferable, as a measurement, to individual healthy lifespan, since health expectancy excludes those differences in healthy lifespan that are simply due to chance. In other words, the quantity of interest for studying health inequality is the distribution of health expectancy across individuals in the population. The inequality of the distribution of health expectancy can be summarized by measures of individual/mean differences (differences between the individual and the mean of the population) or inter-individual differences. The exact form of the measure to summarize inequality depends on three normative choices. A firmer understanding of people’s views on these normative choices will provide a basis for deliberating on a standard WHO measure of health inequality.http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862000000100005&lng=en&tlng=enanalysis of variancecohort effecthealth status indicatorslongevity; risk factorssocial justicesocioeconomic factors |
| spellingShingle | E.E Gakidou C.J.L Murray J Frenk Defining and measuring health inequality: an approach based on the distribution of health expectancy Bulletin of the World Health Organization analysis of variance cohort effect health status indicators longevity; risk factors social justice socioeconomic factors |
| title | Defining and measuring health inequality: an approach based on the distribution of health expectancy |
| title_full | Defining and measuring health inequality: an approach based on the distribution of health expectancy |
| title_fullStr | Defining and measuring health inequality: an approach based on the distribution of health expectancy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Defining and measuring health inequality: an approach based on the distribution of health expectancy |
| title_short | Defining and measuring health inequality: an approach based on the distribution of health expectancy |
| title_sort | defining and measuring health inequality an approach based on the distribution of health expectancy |
| topic | analysis of variance cohort effect health status indicators longevity; risk factors social justice socioeconomic factors |
| url | http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862000000100005&lng=en&tlng=en |
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