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What is the association between economic growth and health equity?: A cross-national study of 83 low- and middle- income countries

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Forthcoming

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What is the association between economic growth and health equity? A cross-national study of 83 low- and middle- income countries. / Freeman, Toby; Gesesew, H; Bambra, Clare et al.
In: International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services, 25.03.2025.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Freeman, T, Gesesew, H, Bambra, C, Brown, H, Ullah, S, Popay, J & Baum, F 2025, 'What is the association between economic growth and health equity? A cross-national study of 83 low- and middle- income countries', International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services.

APA

Freeman, T., Gesesew, H., Bambra, C., Brown, H., Ullah, S., Popay, J., & Baum, F. (in press). What is the association between economic growth and health equity? A cross-national study of 83 low- and middle- income countries. International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services.

Vancouver

Freeman T, Gesesew H, Bambra C, Brown H, Ullah S, Popay J et al. What is the association between economic growth and health equity? A cross-national study of 83 low- and middle- income countries. International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services. 2025 Mar 25.

Author

Freeman, Toby ; Gesesew, H ; Bambra, Clare et al. / What is the association between economic growth and health equity? A cross-national study of 83 low- and middle- income countries. In: International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services. 2025.

Bibtex

@article{a451c928aa6f4fbc8f2fb0a9b5c7472e,
title = "What is the association between economic growth and health equity?: A cross-national study of 83 low- and middle- income countries",
abstract = "Inequities in infant and child mortality are an urgent public health issue for lower and middle income countries (LMICs). We sought to establish whether gross domestic product (GDP) is associated with the extent of health inequalities within LMICs. We conducted a secondary analysis of publicly available health equity data from the Health Equity Database of LMICs, and GDP data from the World Bank. We used infant and under five mortality rates by socioeconomic quintile. The slope of inequality index and relative index of inequality were calculated for both outcomes for each country (N = 83). Linear regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship with GDP. Higher GDP was associated with only a small decrease in absolute socioeconomic inequities in under five mortality (f2 = 0.10), and was not associated with changes in absolute inequities in infant mortality. Higher GDP was associated with greater relative inequities in infant (f2 = 0.11) and under five mortality (f2 = 0.12). Thus, increasing GDP may do little to redress health inequities in infant and under five mortality. Understanding drivers of the distribution of wealth and income to flatten the socioeconomic gradient in health are crucial to reducing health inequities.",
author = "Toby Freeman and H Gesesew and Clare Bambra and Heather Brown and S Ullah and Jennie Popay and Fran Baum",
year = "2025",
month = mar,
day = "25",
language = "English",
journal = "International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services",
issn = "2755-1938",
publisher = "Sage Publications",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - What is the association between economic growth and health equity?

T2 - A cross-national study of 83 low- and middle- income countries

AU - Freeman, Toby

AU - Gesesew, H

AU - Bambra, Clare

AU - Brown, Heather

AU - Ullah, S

AU - Popay, Jennie

AU - Baum, Fran

PY - 2025/3/25

Y1 - 2025/3/25

N2 - Inequities in infant and child mortality are an urgent public health issue for lower and middle income countries (LMICs). We sought to establish whether gross domestic product (GDP) is associated with the extent of health inequalities within LMICs. We conducted a secondary analysis of publicly available health equity data from the Health Equity Database of LMICs, and GDP data from the World Bank. We used infant and under five mortality rates by socioeconomic quintile. The slope of inequality index and relative index of inequality were calculated for both outcomes for each country (N = 83). Linear regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship with GDP. Higher GDP was associated with only a small decrease in absolute socioeconomic inequities in under five mortality (f2 = 0.10), and was not associated with changes in absolute inequities in infant mortality. Higher GDP was associated with greater relative inequities in infant (f2 = 0.11) and under five mortality (f2 = 0.12). Thus, increasing GDP may do little to redress health inequities in infant and under five mortality. Understanding drivers of the distribution of wealth and income to flatten the socioeconomic gradient in health are crucial to reducing health inequities.

AB - Inequities in infant and child mortality are an urgent public health issue for lower and middle income countries (LMICs). We sought to establish whether gross domestic product (GDP) is associated with the extent of health inequalities within LMICs. We conducted a secondary analysis of publicly available health equity data from the Health Equity Database of LMICs, and GDP data from the World Bank. We used infant and under five mortality rates by socioeconomic quintile. The slope of inequality index and relative index of inequality were calculated for both outcomes for each country (N = 83). Linear regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship with GDP. Higher GDP was associated with only a small decrease in absolute socioeconomic inequities in under five mortality (f2 = 0.10), and was not associated with changes in absolute inequities in infant mortality. Higher GDP was associated with greater relative inequities in infant (f2 = 0.11) and under five mortality (f2 = 0.12). Thus, increasing GDP may do little to redress health inequities in infant and under five mortality. Understanding drivers of the distribution of wealth and income to flatten the socioeconomic gradient in health are crucial to reducing health inequities.

M3 - Journal article

JO - International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services

JF - International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services

SN - 2755-1938

ER -