Developing a measure of deprivation in Ecuador to tackle inequalities
A team from the UK, Brazil, and Ecuador is collaborating in a research project (Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Inequalities - SEDHI) that aims to understand why health outcomes differ across population groups. Research consistently shows that people living in more advantaged areas experience better health than those in disadvantaged ones. When these systematic and avoidable differences in mortality, illness, and other health outcomes persist, they are known as health inequalities.
A new study published in the International Journal of Population Data Science describes the creation of a deprivation index for Ecuador. While classical poverty indices focus mainly on economic hardship, deprivation encompasses a wider set of barriers in daily life, including limited access to quality housing, education, infrastructure, and other social and cultural resources. This new measure is designed to support research into health patterns across Ecuador and ultimately inform more effective and equitable public policies.
The index—the Ecuadorian Deprivation Index (EDI)—was constructed using 15 variables related to education, employment, housing conditions, socioeconomic position, and the living environment. More than forty thousand small census areas were assigned a deprivation score, as well as larger administrative political divisions of Ecuador, including parishes, cantons, and provinces.
To demonstrate the EDI’s usefulness for health inequalities, the research team used it to describe inequalities in teenage pregnancy, a persistent public health challenge in Ecuador, associated with poor outcomes for both mothers and their children. The study found that women in the most deprived areas were almost three times more likely to experience their first pregnancy before age 18 compared to those in the least deprived areas.
“We have developed a measure that will help identify unfair differences in the health status of the Ecuadorian population, such as those highlighted in teenage pregnancy”, says Diego Andrade Ortiz, the lead author of the study. “The EDI was developed in collaboration with researchers in the UK and Brazil who have expertise in this area. It will be used in future health research and to inform tailored, targeted policies for those most in need”.
To support public engagement and policy use on the EDI, the team also developed an interactive online map and website for policymakers, researchers, and the wider public. These websites are available in English (https://arcg.is/1uu0150) and Spanish (https://arcg.is/10fab4).
Click here to read the full article
Diego Oswaldo Andrade Ortiz, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow and Maestría de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Internacional del Ecuador