Socioeconomic inequality for hypertension among reproductive age women aged 15–49 from five Sub-Saharan Africa countries: A decomposition analysis of DHS Data

Abstract

Hypertension is a significant public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among reproductive-aged women. This study aims to assess and decompose socioeconomic inequalities in hypertension across five SSA countries using DHS data. Our study analyzed the latest Demographic and Health Survey data from five SSA countries, including Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, and Lesotho. We selected these five SSA countries based on data availability and conducted analyses using the Erreygers normalized concentration index (ECI) and concentration curve to measure and decompose inequalities.A weighted total sample of 52,076 reproductive-age women in SSA were included. The overall weighted ECI was estimated to be 0.06 (95% confidence interval (CI):0.049; 0.065). Key contributors to socioeconomic inequalities in hypertension include wealth quantile (126%), media exposure (19%), and educational attainment (2.3%), marital status (-34.3%), and residence (-31.7).In conclusion, there is a clear pro-rich socioeconomic inequality in hypertension among reproductive-age women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Wealth index, marital status, media exposure, and place of residence are the primary drivers of this disparity. Addressing these socioeconomic disparities through targeted interventions can significantly reduce hypertension rates among reproductive-aged women in SSA. Show more