Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Health Economics Review
Published in: Health Economics Review 1/2012

Open Access 01-12-2012 | Research

Health and vulnerability to poverty in Ghana: evidence from the Ghana Living Standards Survey Round 5

Authors: Jacob Novignon, Justice Nonvignon, Richard Mussa, Levison S Chiwaula

Published in: Health Economics Review | Issue 1/2012

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

An understanding of the complex relationship between health status and welfare is crucial for critical policy interventions. However, the focus of most policies in developing regions has been on current welfare to the neglect of forward-looking welfare analysis. The absence of adequate research in the area of future poverty or vulnerability to poverty has also contributed to the focus on current welfare. The objectives of this study were to estimate vulnerability to poverty among households in Ghana and examine the relationship between health status and vulnerability to poverty.

Method

The study used cross section data from the Fifth Round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS 5) with a nationally representative sample of 8,687 households from all administrative regions in Ghana. A three-step Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) estimation procedure was employed to estimate vulnerability to poverty and to model the effect of health status on expected future consumption and variations in future consumption. Vulnerability to poverty estimates were also examined against various household characteristics.

Results

Using an upper poverty line, the estimates of vulnerability show that about 56% of households in Ghana are vulnerable to poverty in the future and this is higher than the currently observed poverty level of about 29%. Households with ill members were vulnerable to poverty. Moreover, households with poor hygiene conditions were also vulnerable to future poverty. The vulnerability to poverty estimates were, however, sensitive to the poverty line used and varied with household characteristics.

Conclusion

The results imply that policies directed towards poverty reduction need to take into account the vulnerability of households to future poverty. Also, hygienic conditions and health status of households need not be overlooked in poverty reduction strategies.
Literature
1.
WHO: Constitution of the World Health Organization. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1946.
2.
Narayan D, Chambers R, Shah MK, Petesch P: Voice of the poor: crying out for change. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2000.CrossRef
3.
Somi MF, Butler JRG, Vahid F, Njau JD, Abdulla S: Household response to health risks shocks: A study from Tanzania raise some methodological issues. J Int Dev 2009, 21: 200–211. 10.1002/jid.1555CrossRef
4.
Grossman M: The demand for health: A theoretical and empirical investigation. New York: Columbia University Press; 1972.
5.
Osei R, Quartey P: The HIPC Initiative and Poverty reduction in Ghana: An assessment. 2001. UNU/WIDER Discussion Paper No 2001/119
6.
Monk C, Teal T: Health shocks, job quality and self employment in Africa. Research consortium on education outcomes and poverty working paper No13 2008 2008.
7.
8.
Devereux S, Baulch B, Maccauslan I, Phiri A, Sabates-Wheeler R: Vulnerability and Social protection in Malawi. Institute of Development Studies Discussion Paper No 387 2007.
9.
Asante FA, Asenso-Okyere K: Economic Burden of Malaria in Ghana. A technical report submitted to the WHO African Region Office (AFRO) 2003.
10.
GSS: Ghana living standards survey: Report of the Fifth round. Accra: Ghana Statistical Service; 2008.
11.
Ligon E, Schechter L: Measuring Vulnerability. Econ J 2003, 113: 95–102. 10.1111/1468-0297.00117CrossRef
12.
Azam S, Imai KS: Vulnerability and poverty in Bangladesh. Chronic Poverty Research Centre Working Paper No141 2009.
13.
Lindelow M, Wagstaff A: Health shocks in China: Are the poor and uninsured less protected? World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 3740 2005.
14.
Chaudhuri S: Assessing vulnerability to poverty: Concepts, empirical methods and illustrative examples. New York: Columbia University; 2003.
15.
Tendon A, Hasan R: Conceptualizing and Measuring Poverty as Vulnerability: Does it make a difference? Asian Development Bank Economic and Research Department Policy Brief Series No41 2005.
16.
Appiah-Kubi K, Oduro DA, Senadza B: Understanding Poverty in Ghana: Risk and Vulnerability. In The economy of Ghana: Analytical perspective on stability, growth and poverty. Edited by: Aryeetey E, Kanbur R. Oxford: James Currey Publishers; 2005.
17.
WHO: World Health Statistics Report. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2009.
18.
WB: Understanding poverty. Washington D.C: The World Bank; 2007.
19.
20.
Duflo A: Health shocks and economic vulnerability in rural India: breaking the vicious circle. In Center for micro finance research working paper. Chennai: Institute of Financial Management and Research; 2005.
21.
Alwang J, Siegel PB, Jorgensen LS: Vulnerability: as viewed from different disciplines. In Social protection discussion paper No 0115. Washington, D. C: The World Bank; 2002.
22.
Kunfaa EY: Consultations with the poor: Ghana country synthesis report. Kumasi: Center for the Development of People; 1999.
23.
Hoddinott J, Quisumbing A: Methods of measuring microeconometric risk and vulnerability assessments. In Social Protection Discussion Paper No 0324. Washington D.C: The World Bank; 2003.
24.
25.
Christiaensen LJ, Boisvert RN: On measuring food vulnerability: case evidence from northern Mali. Department of Economics, Resource and Managerial Economics Working Paper No 2000–05 2000.
26.
Chaudhuri S, Jalan J, Suryahadi A: Assessing household vulnerability to poverty from cross sectional data: a methodology and estimates from Indonesia. Department of economics discussion Paper No 0102–52 University of Columbia 2002.
27.
Chaudhuri S: Empirical methods for assessing household vulnerability to poverty. In Mimeo. New York: Columbia University; 2000.
28.
Suryahadi A, Sumarto S: Poverty and vulnerability in Indonesia before and after the economic crises. Asian Econ J 2003, 17: 45–64. 10.1111/1351-3958.00161CrossRef
29.
Jamal H: Assessing vulnerability to poverty: evidence from pakistan. Social Policy and Development Centre Research Report No 80 2009.
30.
Amemiya T: The maximum likelihood estimator and the non-linear three-stage least squares estimator in the general non-linear simultaneous equation model. Econometrica 1977, 45: 955–968. 10.2307/1912684CrossRef
31.
Pritchett L, Suryahadi A, Sumarto S: Quantifying vulnerability to poverty: A proposed measure with application to Indonesia. In Mimeo. Jakarta: Social Monitoring and Early Response Unit; 2000.
32.
Zhang Y, Wan G: Can we predict vulnerability to poverty. World Institute for Development Economics Research Paper No 2008/82 2008.
33.
GSS: Patterns and trends of poverty in Ghana: 1991–2006. Accra: Ghana Statistical Service; 2007.
34.
Christiaensen LJ, Subbarao K: Towards an understanding of household vulnerability in rural Kenya. J Afr Econ 2005, 14: 520–558. 10.1093/jae/eji008CrossRef
35.
GSS: Ghana living standards survey: Data of the fifth round. Accra: Ghana Statistical Service; 2005–06.
36.
GSS: Ghana living standards survey: Study document for the fifth round. Accra: Ghana Statistical Service; 2009.
37.
Novignon J, Mussa R, Msonda T, Nonvignon J: The use of non-prescription medicine versus self-assessed health: evidence from Malawi. Int Arch Med 2011., 4:
38.
Kawada T: Self-rated health and life prognosis. Arch Med Res 2003, 34: 343–347. 10.1016/S0188-4409(03)00052-3PubMedCrossRef
39.
Alayande B, Alayande O: A quantitative and qualitative assessment of vulnerability to poverty in Nigeria. In CSAE conference on poverty reduction, growth and human development in Africa. Oxford: St. Cathrine's College; 2004.
40.
GAC: Ghana's progress report on the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) declaration of commitment on HIV and AIDS. Accra: Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC); 2010.
41.
Nonvignon J, Aglobitse PB: The Choice of Health Care services by households in selected regions of ghana. Ghana Pol J 2008, 2: 34–50.
42.
Nonvignon J, Aikins KSM, Chinbuah AM, Abbey M, Gyapong M, Garshong NAB, Fia S, Gyapong OJ: Treatment choices for fevers in children under-five years in a rural Ghanaian district. Malar J 2010., 9:
Metadata
Title
Health and vulnerability to poverty in Ghana: evidence from the Ghana Living Standards Survey Round 5
Authors
Jacob Novignon
Justice Nonvignon
Richard Mussa
Levison S Chiwaula
Publication date
01-12-2012
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Health Economics Review / Issue 1/2012
Electronic ISSN: 2191-1991
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/2191-1991-2-11

Other articles of this Issue 1/2012

Health Economics Review 1/2012 Go to the issue

Research

Cost-effectiveness analysis of antipsychotics in reducing schizophrenia relapses

Research

Who gets a mammogram amongst European women aged 50-69 years?

Research

Potential cost-effectiveness and benefit-cost ratios of adult pneumococcal vaccination in Germany

Research

Economic burden of osteoporotic fractures in Austria

Research

Which patients do I treat? An experimental study with economists and physicians

Review

Wealth and antenatal care use: implications for maternal health care utilisation in Ghana