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Development of two socioeconomic indices for Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Health and socioeconomic status (SES) are linked in studies worldwide. Measures of SES exist for many countries, however not for Saudi Arabia (SA). We describe two indices of area-based SES for SA. METHODS:Routine census data has been used to construct two indices of SES at the geographically-delimited administrative region of Governorates in SA (n =?118). The data used included indicators of educational status, employment status, car and material ownership. A continuous measure of SES was constructed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a categorical measure of SES using latent class analysis (LCA). Both indices were mapped by Governorates. RESULTS:The EFA identified three factors: The first explained 51.58% of the common variance within the interrelated factors, the second 15.14%, and the third 14.26%. These proportions were used in the formulation of the standard index. The scores were fixed to range from 100 for the affluent Governorate and 0 for the deprived. The LCA found a 4 class model as the best model fit. Class 1 was termed "affluent" and included 11.01% of Governorates, class 2 "upper middle class" (44.91%), class 3 "lower middle class" (33.05%) and class 4 "deprived" (11.01%). The populated urbanised Governorates were found to be the most affluent whereas the smaller rural Governorates were the most deprived. CONCLUSION:This is the first description of measures of SES in SA at a geographical level. Two measures have been successfully constructed and mapped. The maps show similar patterns suggesting validity. Both indices support the common perception of SES in SA.

SUBMITTER: AlOmar RS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6019717 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Development of two socioeconomic indices for Saudi Arabia.

AlOmar Reem S RS Parslow Roger C RC Law Graham R GR

BMC public health 20180626 1

<h4>Background</h4>Health and socioeconomic status (SES) are linked in studies worldwide. Measures of SES exist for many countries, however not for Saudi Arabia (SA). We describe two indices of area-based SES for SA.<h4>Methods</h4>Routine census data has been used to construct two indices of SES at the geographically-delimited administrative region of Governorates in SA (n = 118). The data used included indicators of educational status, employment status, car and material ownership. A continuou ...[more]

PMID: 29940925

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Project description:The developmental health of young children is highly influenced by the socioeconomic conditions in which they are raised. How to accurately measure these conditions is a point of debate in the current literature on child development, health, and social determinants. We have evaluated four existing indices of socioeconomic status (SES) to determine the most relevant for the analysis of early childhood development (ECD) in Canada. Following a literature review of published SES indices which used 2006 Canadian Census data, four indices were chosen based on their relevance to ECD and the number of citations in subsequent articles. These were: the Canadian Deprivation Index, the Socioeconomic Factor Index, the Canadian Marginalization Index and an index created by the Early Childhood Mapping Project in Alberta, Canada. The indices were replicated using SES data for 2038 customized geographic neighbourhoods encompassing 99.9% of the Canadian population, and the relationship of the indices to ECD was investigated by linking to aggregated data from the Early Development Instrument (EDI), a teacher-completed questionnaire used to assess kindergarten children's physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development, and communication skills. The derived SES indices were compared based on four criteria: the input variables used, the index structure, the interpretability of the index and the variance they explained (R2) in the different EDI outcome measures. In terms of variance explained, material components of the SES indices (e.g., income, education) consistently showed the strongest association with children's language and cognitive development. The patterns of association for the non-material SES components and the other developmental domains of the EDI were more complex. We discuss the findings in regard to current developments in the field, and the need for refining empirical and theoretical approaches to examine associations between different facets of SES contextual factors and different aspects of ECD outcomes.

Project description:BackgroundNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasingly becoming a challenge worldwide, causing high mortality and morbidity. Saudi Arabia has one of the highest rates of NCDs globally and the highest in the Arabian Gulf region. Epidemiological data indicate that NCDs are responsible for 70 % of all deaths in Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to examine the socioeconomic determinants and inequalities in the prevalence of NCDs in Saudi Arabia.MethodsData from the Saudi Family Health Survey conducted in 2018 by the General Authority for Statistics were used for this study. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to examine the socioeconomic factors associated with the prevalence of NCDs. Moreover, the concentration curve and concentration indices were used to assess inequalities in the prevalence of NCDs.ResultsAmong the 11,527 respondents, the prevalence of NCDs was 32.15 %. The prevalence of NCDs was higher among women and among elderly respondents aged ≥ 60 years. With respect to the determinants of the prevalence of NCDs, the logistic regression results showed that the likelihood of reporting NCDs was lower among people with a higher education (OR: 0.599, 95 % CI: 0.497-0.723, p < 0.01) compared with that of people with an education below the primary school level. Other factors significantly associated with the prevalence of NCDs were age, marital status, nationality, and region of residence. The inequality analysis showed that at the national level, the prevalence of NCDs was concentrated among less educated people (concentration index = - 0.338, p < 0.01), but with significant regional variations. Gender disaggregation showed that both income-based and education-based concentration indices were significantly negative among women, indicating that the prevalence of NCDs is concentrated among women with a lower income level and with less education.ConclusionsThe findings of this study are important for policymakers to combat both the increasing prevalence of and socio-economic inequalities in NCDs. The government should develop targeted intervention strategies to control NCDs and achieve health equality considering socio-economic status. Future policies should target women and the lower educated population in Saudi Arabia.

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Development of two socioeconomic indices for Saudi Arabia.

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Development of two socioeconomic indices for Saudi Arabia.

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