Evolution of social inequalities in health in Quebec?

Abstract

This paper, based on data from the National Population Health Surveys (NPHS) from 1994 to 2007, analyzes the evolution of social inequalities in health in Quebec since the mid-1990s using two health measures namely self-assessed health (SAH) and health utility index (HUI). Two methods are used. The first is based on concentration indices and their decompositions while the second is based on the income-health matrices. The results confirm the existence of persistent health gradients, but with some variations over time. The findings also suggest an increase, on average, in health inequalities during the period with a peak during the years 2002/2003. These variations appear especially stronger for low-income individuals.Concentration indices; decomposition analysis; self-assessed health; health utility index; income-health matrices; dominance analysis