Gender inequities in curative and preventive health care use among infants in Bihar, India.

BACKGROUND

India has the highest rate of excess female infant deaths in the world. Studies with decade-old data suggest gender inequities in infant health care seeking, but little new large-scale research has examined this issue. We assessed differences in health care utilization by sex of the child, using 2014 data for Bihar, India.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional analysis of statewide representative survey data collected for a non-blinded maternal and child health evaluation study. Participants included mothers of living singleton infants (n = 11 570). Sex was the main exposure. Outcomes included neonatal illness, care seeking for neonatal illness, hospitalization, facility-based postnatal visits, immunizations, and postnatal home visits by frontline workers. Analyses were conducted via multiple logistic regression with survey weights.

FINDINGS

The estimated infant sex ratio was 863 females per 1000 males. Females had lower rates of reported neonatal illness (odds ratio (OR) = 0.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.6-0.9) and hospitalization during infancy (OR = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.3-0.6). Girl neonates had a significantly lower odds of receiving care if ill (80.6% vs 89.1%; OR = 0.5; 95% CI = 0.3-0.8) and lower odds of having a postnatal checkup visit within one month of birth (5.4% vs 7.3%; OR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.6-0.9). The gender inequity in care seeking was more profound at lower wealth and higher numbers of siblings. Gender differences in immunization and frontline worker visits were not seen.

INTERPRETATION

Girls in Bihar have lower odds than boys of receiving facility-based curative and preventive care, and this inequity may partially explain the persistent sex ratio imbalance and excess female mortality. Frontline worker home visits may offer a means of helping better support care for girls.