India's Health Spending Gap Widens Gap Between Rich and Poor
A study of 59,000 Indians over 45 reveals that wealthier citizens are 60% more likely to have controlled blood pressure, while rural areas lag far behind cities in hypertension care. The findings suggest unequal state health budgets are driving preventable cardiovascular disease deaths across India's poorer regions.
Originaltitel: State-Level Variations in Hypertension Management and Cardiovascular Disease Risks in India: Public Spending on Health and Socioeconomic Inequalities
Introduction: This study aimed to assess the within- and between-states inequality in hypertension management and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk across sociodemographic groups in India and the correlation between states/UTs expenditure on health, hypertension management, and CVD risk. Methods: This study utilized cross-sectional data from 2017/2018 Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI), with a total sample of 58,848 respondents aged >= 45 years. Hypertension management was assessed based on hypertension awareness, treatment, and control, while 10-year CVD risk was measured using the 2019 WHO CVD risk. We used multilevel logistic regression models to estimate the socioeconomic inequality in hypertension management and 10-year CVD risk, measured by the relative index of inequality (RII). Results: Rural areas had a substantially poorer coverage of hypertension awareness, treatment, and control compared with urban areas. Richest socioeconomic groups were more likely to be aware of their hypertensive status (RII 1.28, 95% CI: 1.16-1.42), receive antihypertensive treatment (RII 1.47, 95% CI: 1.28-1.69), have their blood pressure controlled (RII 1.60, 95% CI: 1.34-1.90), and have 10-year CVD risk <10% (1.06, 95% CI: 1.01-1.12) compared to the poorest. The variance partition coefficient ranged from 1.5% for 10-year CVD risk to 9.9% for hypertension control. There was no significant correlation between socioeconomic inequality in hypertension management, 10-year CVD risk, and the per capita public health expenditure of states/UTs. Conclusion: Differences in state-level health system capacity may disproportionately affect socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underscoring the need for more equitable hypertension management and cardiovascular health strategies across India.