Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Reproductive and Child Health Inequities in Chandigarh Union Territory of India

  • Published:
Journal of Urban Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Health inequity is an emerging issue all over the world. Some populations living in specific geographic areas may have less access to basic health facilities. Therefore, a sample survey of households was carried out to study access of different population groups to reproductive and child health. Cluster sampling technique was used to select 30 clusters (18 urban, 9 slum, and 3 rural) from Chandigarh Union Territory in India. From each of these clusters, 40 households were selected randomly. Data were collected using a standard questionnaire developed by UNICEF from April to June 2006 by graduate male and female field workers who were specially recruited and trained for this purpose. A total of 5383 individuals were studied in 1200 sample households with proportionate representation from urban (56%), slum (33%), and rural (11%) areas. Literacy rate was higher (94.3%) in urban than the rural (80.6%) and slum (65.3%) areas. About 68% of the deliveries were at home and not assisted by a skilled birth attendant (nurse, midwife, or doctor) in the slums, compared to 21% and 7% in rural and urban areas (p < 0.001), respectively. Fully immunized children at the age of 2 years were 30% in slums as compared to 74% and 62.5% in urban and rural areas (p < 0.001), respectively. Hib vaccination, which is to be bought at a considerable cost, was nil in slum areas compared to 79% in urban and 45% in rural area. Contraceptive prevalence was significantly more in urban (73%) and rural areas (75%) compared to the slum areas (53.4%) (p < 0.05). It was concluded that reproductive and child health service coverage has large differences in various population groups. Special interventions should be undertaken on a priority basis to bridge the gaps so as to achieve millennium development goals in all population groups.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Braveman P, Gruskin S. Defining equity in health. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2003;57:254–258.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Dahiya B. Hard struggle and soft gains: environmental management, civil society and governance in Pammal, South India. Environment Urban. 2003;15:91–100.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Planning Commission. Ninth Five Year Plan, Volume 2. New Delhi: Government of India; 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Carlson C, Margaret S. Health and Environment in Urban Poor Areas: Avoiding a crisis through Prevention. Environmental Health Program. Capsule Report. March 1996. Accessed on: June 30, 2007. Available at: http://www.dec.org/pdf_docs/pnaby450.pdf.

  5. Chatterjee G. Consensus Versus Confrontation: Local Authorities and State Agencies form Partnerships with Urban Poor Communities in Mumbai. Nairobi: UNHABITAT; 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Aggarwal S, Sangar K. Need for dedicated focus on urban health within national rural health mission. Indian J Pub Health. 2005;49(3).

  7. Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare, Government of Uttaranchal. Five Year Urban Health Proposal (Under RCH II) for Dehradun. Dehradun: Government of Uttaranchal; 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Taneja S, Agarwal S. Situational Analysis for Guiding USAID/India and EHP/India: Technical Assistance Efforts in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. Arlington VA: Environmental Health Project; 2004

    Google Scholar 

  9. Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal. Five Year Urban Health Proposal for Bally (Under RCH II), West Bengal, Kolkata. Government of West Bengal: 2004.

  10. The gap between rich and poor in India. Accessed on: June 30, 2007. Available at: http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2007/06/05/difference-between-rich-and-poor-indians/.

  11. The Health of the Poor in Urban India, Directions for Strategy. Human Development Unit. South Asia. April 26, 2004. Accessed on: June 30, 2007. Available at: http://adb.org/Documents/Books/Role-Public-Admin-Building-Harmonious-Society/session6.pdf.

  12. Agarwal S, Taneja S. All slums are not equal: child health conditions among the urban poor. Indian Pediatr. 2005;42:233–244.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Final population totals and household amenities. Chandigarh. Registrar General of India. Census: 2001. Accessed on: June 30, 2007. Available at: http://www.censusindia.net/results/catalogue/chnd/pdf.

  14. Monitor and evaluate immunization services. Training Module For Mid Level Managers VII. Immunization Strengthening Project: Reproductive and Child Health Programme. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Government of India. New Delhi; 2001:126.

  15. Multiple Indicator Cluster Sampling (MICS). UNICEF. Accessed on: June 30, 2007. Available at: http://www.unicef.org/statistics.

  16. National Rural Health Mission. Ministry of health and family welfare. Government of India. Accessed on: Nov 6, 2007. Available at: http://mohfw.nic.in/NRHM.htm

  17. Important schemes under national welfare programme. Accessed on: Nov 6, 2007. Available at: http://mohfw.nic.in/reports/Performance%20Budget%201992_93/63.pdf.

  18. Family Welfare Programme in UP. Accessed on: Nov 6, 2007. Available at: http://www.sifpsa.org/upp_policy/fp_prog/next.htm

  19. External assistance for family welfare and area development projects. Accessed on: Nov 6, 2007. Available at: http://mohfw.nic.in/reports/Annual%20report%201993-94.pdf/Part-I-XII.pdf.

  20. State of Urban Health in Delhi. Report. Urban Health and Resource Centre. New Delhi: India; 2007.

  21. Sclar ED, Garau P, Carolini D. The 21st century health challenge of slums and cities. Lancet. 2005;365:901–903.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Gupta P, Murali V, Seth A. Epidemiology of diarrhea in urban slums. Indian Pediatr. 1998;35:147–151.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Swami HM, Thakur JS, Gupta M, Bhatia SPS. Improving environmental conditions of a slum in Chandigarh by an awareness campaign. J Environ Sci Eng. 2004;46(3):252–256.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Note on Urban Child Health issued by USAID’s Office of Urban Programs. Accessed on: October 7, 2007. Available at http://www.makingcitieswork.org/urbanThemes/Urban_Health/Urban_Child_Health#water.

  25. Chelala C. Environmental Impact on Child Health. Pan American Health Organisation. WHO; 2000.

  26. National Family Health Survey—3. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Accessed on: July 1, 2007. Available at: http://www.nfhsindia.org/factsheet.html

  27. Talwar R, Chitkara A, Khokhar A, Rasania SK, Sachdeva TR. Determinants of utilization of ante-natal care services amongst attendees in a public sector hospital in Delhi. Health and Population: Perspectives and Issues. 2005;28(3):154–163.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Sreevidya S, Sathiyasekaran BW. High caesarean rates in Madras (India): a population-based cross sectional study. Br J Obstet Gynecol. 2003;110(2):106–111.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Tang S, Li X, Wu Z. Rising cesarean delivery rate in primiparous women in urban China: evidence from three nationwide household health surveys. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006;195(6):1527–1532.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Baicker K, Waniez P, Wurtz B, Brustlein V. Abuse of caesarean delivery in Brazil: geographic dimensions of a medical aberration. Sante. 2006;16(1):21–31.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Atkinson S, Cheyne J. Immunization in urban areas: issues and strategies. Bull W H O. 1994;72(2):183–194.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Evaluation of Reproductive and Child Health Programme. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Government of India, 2000.

  33. Rapid Household Survey—Reproductive and Child Health Project. Chandigarh District. Society for Applied Research in Humanities. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, 1998.

  34. Swami HM, Thakur JS, Bhatia SPS, Bhatia V. Nutritional Status of pre-school children in an ICDS block Chandigarh. J Indian Med Assoc. 2001;99(10):554–556.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Gulati SC. Women’s Reproductive Tract Infections in India: A District Level Analysis. Accessed on: July 6, 2007. Available at: http://www.iipsindia.in/abstractdetails.asp?userid=20068145648.

  36. Poverty estimates for 2004–2005. Government of India. Press Information Bureau. New Delhi. March 2007. Accessed on: October 11, 2007. Available at: http://planningcommission.gov.in/news/prmar07.pdf.

  37. Barten F, Mitlin D, Mulholland C, Hardoy A, Stern R. Integrated approaches to address the social determinants of health for reducing health inequity. J Urban Health. 2007;84(1):164–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Kjellstrom T, Friel S, Dixon J, et al. Urban environmental health hazards and health equity. J Urban Health. 2007;84(1):86–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Government planning. National Urban Health Mission. Accessed on: July 5, 2007. Available at: http://www.thehindujobs.com/thehindu/holnus/001200706070322.htm.

  40. Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Ministry of Urban Development. Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission an overview. Government of India; 2005.

Download references

Acknowledgment

This study was funded by the Health Department, Union Territory, Chandigarh, India.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, Department of Community Medicine, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Sector-12, Chandigarh, UT, 160012, India

    Madhu Gupta, Jarnail S. Thakur & Rajesh Kumar

Authors
  1. Madhu Gupta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jarnail S. Thakur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rajesh Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Madhu Gupta.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gupta, M., Thakur, J.S. & Kumar, R. Reproductive and Child Health Inequities in Chandigarh Union Territory of India. J Urban Health 85, 291–299 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-007-9250-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-007-9250-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation