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Socio‐economic inequalities in diabetes prevalence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Author(s) -
AlHanawi Mohammed Khaled,
Chirwa Gowokani Chijere,
Pulok Mohammad Habibullah
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the international journal of health planning and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1099-1751
pISSN - 0749-6753
DOI - 10.1002/hpm.2899
Subject(s) - inequality , logistic regression , medicine , environmental health , population , public health , diabetes mellitus , demography , gerontology , sociology , mathematical analysis , mathematics , nursing , endocrinology
Summary Background Rising prevalence of non‐communicable diseases, including diabetes in the Middle East, is a major public health concern of the 21st century. However, there is a paucity of literature to understand and measure socio‐economic inequalities in diabetes prevalence in this region, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods This study investigated socio‐economic inequalities in diabetes prevalence in the KSA using data from the Saudi Arabia Health Interview Survey. Concentration curve, concentration index, and multivariate logistic regression were used to measure and examine income‐ and education‐related inequalities in diabetes prevalence. Results The results showed significant socio‐economic inequalities in the prevalence of diabetes through analysing a nationally representative sample of the KSA population. Diabetes prevalence was concentrated among the poor and among people with less education. In addition, education‐related inequality was higher than income‐related inequality. Conclusions The findings of this study are important for policymakers to combat both the increasing prevalence of and socio‐economic inequalities in diabetes. The government should promote health education programmes and increase the level of public awareness of diabetes management, especially among the lower educated population in the KSA.