Health Inequalities: Measurement and Decomposition

38 Pages Posted: 19 Dec 2016

See all articles by Sam Harper

Sam Harper

McGill University - Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Occupational Health

John Lynch

University of South Australia

Date Written: September 5, 2016

Abstract

In this paper we focus on reviewing ways of measuring health inequalities — that is, observable differences in health among individuals of different social groups. We cover a number of fundamental issues involved in choosing a measure of health inequality, and we demonstrate that measures of inequality inherently reflect, to a greater or lesser extent, different ethical and value judgments about what aspects of health inequality are important to capture. We provide definitions and empirical examples for of a number of measures of health inequality. We also emphasize developments in the literature on measuring health inequalities since the mid 2000s, particularly a recent emphasis (at least in health research) on socioeconomic inequalities and inequality decomposition.

Keywords: inequality; health; socioeconomic position; decomposition

Suggested Citation

Harper, Sam and Lynch, John, Health Inequalities: Measurement and Decomposition (September 5, 2016). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2887311 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2887311

Sam Harper (Contact Author)

McGill University - Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Occupational Health ( email )

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John Lynch

University of South Australia ( email )

37-44 North Terrace, City West Campus
Adelaide, South Australia 5001
Australia

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