Best paper award for former YSSP student Mr. Moradhvaj

Abstract

Education or economic status? Comparing their relative effect on prime age adult death in India using longitudinal survey

Introduction. Improvement in the health status of the population is closely related to its level of socio-economic development. Several studies emphasized on the relationship between mortality and socio-economic status measured through importance of occupation, income, wealth and education (Pamuk, Fuchs & Lutz  2011; Lutz & Kebede 2018). However, research seeking to understand the relationship of education and economic status of individuals with adult mortality is an unexplored phenomenon in developing countries. This study examines relative effect of two primary aspects of development, education and economic resources on prime age adult mortality in more comprehensive way than has been done before in India.

Methodology. Using the data from a national sample of 115781 Indian adults aged 15-59 years form India Human Development Survey (IHDS) of wave 1, conducted in 2004–2005 and wave 2, conducted in 2011–2012, this study analyses the relative effect of educational attainment and economic status on prime age adult deaths between 2004-05  and 2011-12 in India. Using the two-level logistic regression model accounting clustering with in the communities, we have estimated the independent effect of educational attainment and economic resources measured at individual and community level on prime age adult mortality.

Results. Around 3% adults died in prime age group between 2004-05 and 2011-12, while the percentage of male dying is higher compared to females. Education level and economic status at individual level have significant effect on  prime adult’s death with  simultaneous adjustment for economic status and education level along with other predictors. The decline in the risk of prime age adult death with increasing education level is greater than the decline associated with rising wealth quintile. Community level education is apparent to reduce the risk of dying among females. Female residing in a community with higher average level of education remains independently associated with a significant reduction in the risk of mortality, while average wealth quintile at community level does not have significant effect. Interaction  analysis between education level and economic status show that the probability of prime age adult death decline with increasing the level of education with similar pattern across all economic groups. Meanwhile, the risk of death does not change among similar level of education with the increasing of the economic status.

Conclusions. Effect of education attainment reduction on the likelihood prime age adult mortality is highly significant and greater than economic status in India. The pattern founded in this study suggests that education should be considered as policy priority for improving the adult mortality in developing countries like India. A further research can be done to explore the possible pathway through which the education attainment and economic status affect the prime age adult mortality.

References.

Pamuk, E. R., Fuchs, R., & Lutz, W. (2011). Comparing relative effects of education and economic resources on infant mortality in developing countries. Population and Development Review, 37(4), 637-664.

Lutz, W., & Kebede, E. (2018). Education and health: Redrawing the Preston curve. Population and Development Review, 44(2), 343.