Socioeconomic factors and area of residence as stratifiers of health inequalities in Bolivia

Abstract

Objective. Describe health inequalities with regard to coverage indicators stratified by socioeconomic factors and place of residence. Methods. An ecological study was conducted with data from the 2003 and 2008 Demographic and Health Surveys and the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey, with analysis of 15 variables for socioeconomic and place-of-residence stratifiers. Results. Calculation of the composite coverage index showed that the poorest groups have moved closer to the richest groups, bridging the inequality gap; change in the richest quintiles has not been as rapid as in the poorest quintiles. Several of the indicators have seen more rapid progress in the poorest group, such as that for deliveries attended by health personnel; other indicators showed reduced growth in reduction of inequality. Chronic malnutrition in children under 5 has decreased; however, anemia in this age group has increased. Conclusions. The indicators showed advances in reduction of inequality and reduction in the gap between the poorest and richest groups. Expected growth in the use of family planning methods may not have been reached because of the existence of conditional cash transfers. Strategies should be evaluated, such as iron supplementation in children under 5, where provision of the supplement has increased, but it has not had an impact on anemia reduction.