Gender Differences in Self-Reported Heart Disease and Multiple Risk Factors in India: Evidence from the 71st Round of the National Sample Survey Office, 2014

Abstract

This study examined gender differences in the prevalence of heart disease in India in terms of type of care sought and biological risk factors. The analysis included 142,620 people aged 30 and above from the National Sample Survey Office's 71st round of 2014. While men and women have the same prevalence of seven per 1,000 persons, using a form of prevalence odds ratio the analysis indicated that women were likely to seek care at lower levels of service provision, even though they carried a higher level of multiple morbidities. This difference is not because of the survival effect of women living longer with heart diseases when compared to men. It is possible that women with heart disease complicated by multiple co-morbidities have limited treatment options. Nevertheless, these constraints are not entirely biological and therefore whether these are a consequence of gender discrimination in care options needs further examination.