The Dynamics of Health Inequality in Kagera Region in Tanzania, 1991-2010

Abstract

This paper investigates issues related to the dynamics of health inequality and itsrelation to income in Kagera region in Tanzania. Specifically, it investigates the size ofhealth inequality and examines the extent of income-related health inequality andincome in the region. The study uses the Kagera Health and Development Survey(KHDS) panel data, and a measure of income-related health inequality and healthrelatedincome inequality as proposed by Allanson et al. (2010) to measure the extent of income-relatedhealth inequality and health-related income inequality.The findings show that there is a relationship between relative health changes and individuals ' initiallevel of income, which implies income plays a vital role in reducing inequalities inhealth. Furthermore, health-related income mobility is found to be positive, signifyingthat the current health status was more strongly related to the current income thanlagged income. The key findings imply that income-related policy interventions forimproving health status of the poor is inevitable. Keywords: health, poverty, Kagera, inequality, dynamics