Measuring variations in health inequalities: Semiparametric modeling of the concentration index

Siegel, Martin (2012) Measuring variations in health inequalities: Semiparametric modeling of the concentration index. PhD thesis, Universität zu Köln.

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Abstract

This thesis introduces a new econometric approach to measure variations in health inequalities with respect to some other continuous or discrete explanatory variable. The proposed model combines the well-established concentration index with the smooth coefficient model to a semiparametric inequality index. Data on income, self-assessed health, obesity, hypertension, diabetes and smoking behavior are analyzed. Community deprivation is assessed using a German Index of Multiple Deprivation. The results suggest that income-related inequalities to the detriment of the economically deprived households exist in Germany. While this holds for health status in almost all age groups, smoking only concentrates among the worse-off households in younger cohorts. Smoking apparantly changed from a pro-rich towards a pro-poor habit over the twentieth century. While individual income and community deprivation are similarly associated to individual health, income-related health inequalities do not vary with community deprivation.

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