Health disparities and the social context of health disparity between the poorest and wealthiest quintiles in a developing country.

BACKGROUND

Previous studies that have examined social determinants of health have done so for the general population or elderly, but none have explored socio-biological determinants between the poorest and wealthiest income quintiles. More specifically, health disparity and socio-biological determinants of the poorest quintile and the wealthiest quintile have never been examined for Jamaica.

OBJECTIVES

The current study will bridge this gap in the literature by examining health status, illness, age at which the lower and upper classes indicate having illness and particular illnesses, and parameters that explain health status of the upper and lower quintiles in Jamaica as well as the social context of disparities between the two groups.

METHODS

A sample of 2,725 respondents from the wealthiest quintile and poorest quintile was extracted from a cross-sectional survey of 6,783 respondents. Stepwise logistic regression was used to determine the contribution of significant socio-biological determinants of the health status model. Health status here corresponds to self-rated general health of respondents.

RESULTS

The wealthiest quintile reported good health status 62% more than for the poorest quintile.

CONCLUSION

This study is far-reaching and can be used to lessen the health disparities between and among social hierarchies in Jamaica. Health policies in Jamaica must be adopted that will address the social determinants of health. They should aim at making the health system more effective in reaching the poorest in the nation, especially those in rural areas.