No abstract

Odisha, one of the socioeconomically disadvantaged states of India, registers high maternal deaths. The state features wide regional and sociodemographic diversity with the Koraput-Balangir-Kalahandi (KBK) districts, dominated by disadvantaged tribal population. This study aims to assess the level and pattern of maternal healthcare services utilization among different subgroups of women in Odisha with a special focus on the regional, economic, and educational inequality using the latest District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-III, 2007-08). Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate analysis were used to understand the pattern of utilization of maternal healthcare services among women by different background characteristics. Concentration curve and decomposition analysis were used to understand the inequalities in utilization of maternal healthcare services and contribution of different socioeconomic factors. Results reveal wide regional variation in the utilization of maternal healthcare services. The utilization of maternal healthcare services is more concentrated among affluent households. Economic inequality in safe delivery is high. Decomposition analysis shows education as the leading contributor in explaining maternal healthcare services utilization. Enhancing literacy among women and improving of health infrastructure and its quality in rural and disadvantaged regions may be prioritized to improve the maternal health in Odisha.

No abstract

Purpose – This paper is an effort to identify the difference between government and private primary schools in terms of physical infrastructure, schooling costs and student's performance. Further, the paper assessed the role of physical infrastructure and schooling costs on the performance of students. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This study used India Human Development Survey (IHDS) data. Bivariate, trivariate, χ2 and ANOVA test, factor analyses and Theil index are used as methods of analyses. Findings – The results present a distinct picture of government and private primary school education in India in terms of physical infrastructure standards, schooling cost and performance of students. In all the three selected indicators, private primary schools remained a forerunner or outperform the government primary schools in India. Besides this, the physical infrastructure and schooling cost found to have effect on performance of students both in private and public schools. Practical implications – Since government primary schools hold more than 70 percent of total students, there is an urgent need to improve the standards of primary education in these schools. Further, efforts are needed to reduce the gaps between private and public schools in terms of its basic physical facilities and performance of students in the country. Originality/value – The paper used the IHDS to examine the existing differentials between government and private primary schools. The analysis is purely an original work.

ObjectivesTo assess household amenities in districts of high focus states and their association with child health in India.DesignThe data for the study are extracted from Annual Health Survey (AHS) and Census 2011.SettingsDistricts in high focus states in India.ParticipantsInformation regarding children below 5 years of age and women aged 15–49 has been extracted from the AHS (2010–2011), and household amenities information has been obtained from the Census (2011).MeasuresHousehold amenities were assessed from the census at the district level in the high focus states. Child health indicators and wealth index were borrowed from AHS and used in this study to check their linkage with household amenities.ResultsAbsence of drinking water from a treated source, improved sanitation, usage of clean cooking fuel and drainage facility in the household were adversely associated with the incidence of acute respiratory infection, diarrhoea, infant mortality rate (IMR) and under 5 mortality rate (U5MR). The mean IMR declined from 64 to 54 for districts where a high proportion of household have improved sanitation. The result of ordinary least square regression shows that improved sanitation has a negative and statistically significant association (β=−0.0067, p<0.01) with U5MR.ConclusionsAlthough child healthcare services are important in addressing child health issues, they barely touch on the root of the problem. Building toilets and providing safe drinking water, clean cooking fuel and drainage facilities at the household level, may prevent a number of adverse child health issues and may reduce the burden on the healthcare system in India.