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Table 3 List of indicators by topic

From: Measuring health inequalities: a systematic review of widely used indicators and topics

Topics

Indicators

Reference

Life expectancy

Life expectancy at birth or at certain age (total, by sex, educational level and/or socioeconomic status)

[23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30, 33,34,35,36, 38, 41,42,43]

Health-adjusted life expectancy

[33, 34]

Inequality in life expectancy, slope index of inequality (SII) for male and female life expectancy

[35, 39]

Healthy life years (total, by sex, region and/or socioeconomic status)

[25, 26, 36, 37, 39, 43]

Slope index of inequality for male and female disability-free life expectancy

[35]

Infant mortality

Infant mortality (total, by sex, by socioeconomic status, deprivation or disposable family income)

[24,25,26,27,28,29,30, 33, 34, 36, 38, 40,41,42]

Infant mortality of newborns weighting at least 500 g

[34]

Inequality in infant mortality

[39]

Highest and lowest infant mortality rates per 1000 live births and measures of inequality between EU Member States, 2000–2010

[25]

Obesity and overweight (BMI)

Obesity and/or overweight (total, by sex, age, or educational level)

[22, 24, 25, 27, 29,30,31,32,33, 36, 38, 42, 43]

Body mass index

[24]

Mortality rate

All-cause mortality (total, by sex, age, or region)

[25, 27, 29, 34, 37, 38, 41,42,43]

Death rates by cause of death

[26, 29, 40, 42]

% completeness of death registration with cause-of-death information

[30]

Regular smokers /tobacco consumption

Smoking/tobacco consumption (total, by frequency of consumption, age, sex, employment and occupational status and/or by difficulties experienced in paying bills)

[23,24,25, 27, 29, 31,32,33,34, 38, 42]

Tobacco and alcohol consumption

[43]

Pregnant women smoking

[24]

Self-perceived health

Self-perceived health (total, by age and/or sex)

[23,24,25,26, 31, 32, 34, 37, 38, 42, 43]

Total health gain as assessed by patients for elective procedures: physical health related procedures/psychological therapies

[36]

Unemployment

Unemployment (total, by duration/long-term)

[24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 38, 42]

Employment of people with long-term conditions/mental illness/disabilities

[36, 41]

Eligibility for employment insurance (aged 15–69)

[34]

Age dependency ratio (% working-age population)

[30]

Population living in jobless households

[39]

Employment gap

[39]

Mental well-being

Risk of psychological suffering

[42]

Health-related quality of life for people with mental illness (eventual or recovery)

[36]

Psychological well-being or discomfort (by age, by using GHQ-12)

[24, 37, 43]

Mental disorders or illness (ICD9MC: 290–319 / including addictions)

[39, 41]

Morbidity: neurotic, personality, and other non-psychotic mental disorders (except drugs or alcohol) (ICD9MC: 300–302, 306–319)

[41]

Depression (mental health)

[38]

Mental illness hospitalisation rate (total, by age)

[33, 34]

Coverage of services for severe mental health disorders

[29]

Cardiovascular disease/ hypertension

Mortality due to cardiovascular causes, including heart diseases (total, by sex and/or age)

[27, 34, 36, 37, 43]

Arterial hypertension

[32, 38, 41]

Blood pressure

[24, 29]

Proportion of stroke patients reporting an improvement in activity

[36]

Cardiovascular and heart diseases (including heart attacks, angina pectoris, and heart failure)

[38]

First ever hospital admission for heart attack (aged under 75 years)

[37]

30-day in-hospital case-fatality AMI and stroke

[24]

Socioeconomic status (SES)/ material deprivation

Working poor

[33, 34, 39]

Disposable family income/family SES

[39, 42]

Income tax base

[38]

People in households in receipt of means-tested benefits

[35]

Slope index of inequality for people in households in receipt of means-tested benefits

[35]

% at risk of poverty – with less than 60% of the median income/% at persistent risk of poverty (by intensity of poverty)

[39]

% who own a house and car

[39]

% areas with > 20% population poor

[39]

Age-standardised percentage of people aged 25 and over by severity of material deprivation

[25]

SII Income/SII Deprivation (by perceived health)/inequality relative index/Gini coefficient (income distribution)/salary gap/income inequality (S80/S20) within and across local areas

[25, 28, 39]

Population below poverty line and income inequality

[24]

Diabetes / Insulin resistance

Age-standardised prevalence rate of anti-diabetic drug recipients

[38]

Diabetes (excluding gestational) (by region, age)

[25, 30, 32,33,34, 41]

Raised blood glucose/diabetes among adults

[29]

Diabetes control

[24]

Physical activity

Physical activity, active or moderately active (total or during free time, by sex and/or age)

[24, 31, 34, 38]

Sedentarism/insufficient physical activity

[29, 32, 42]

% children by the number of hours of physical activity during a week

[38]

Little social or recreational activity

[39]

Cancer

Cancer mortality (total, by sex, age)

[27, 36, 37]

Cancer incidence (total, by age)

[25, 34, 37]

Lung cancer incidence or mortality

[33, 34, 43]

Survival rates cancer (1–5 years from all cancers/diagnosed at stages 1 and 2)

[24, 36]

Colorectal cancer screening, past 5 years (aged 50–74)

[34]

HIV

HIV incidence / prevalence (total, by sex, age)

[24, 27, 29, 30, 34, 40, 41]

AIDS-related mortality rate

[29, 40]

People living with HIV who know their status

[29]

Antiretroviral therapy coverage

[29]

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission

[29]

HIV test results for TB patients (positive results)

[29]

Death rate due to TB, HIV, and hepatitis by sex

[23]

Long-term limitations/ chronic illnesses

Health-related quality of life for people with long-term conditions

[36]

Long-term/chronic conditions, limitations, or illness (total, by age, sex)

[24, 25, 31, 34, 37]

Self-reported chronic morbidity or limitations in daily activities

[24, 26]

Physical and sensory functional limitations

[24]

Death rate due to chronic diseases by sex

[23]

Tuberculosis

Incidence/prevalence of TB (by country of origin, nationality, age, and sex)

[29, 30, 33, 34, 40, 42, 43]

Evolution of anti-TB vaccination (BCG)

[40]

TB notification rate

[29]

Coverage for TB treatment/drug susceptibility testing (for active, latent infection or drug-resistant)

[29]

Death rate due to TB, HIV, and hepatitis by sex

[23]

Hazardous alcohol consumption

Hazardous alcohol consumption/heavy drinking (total, by age)

[24, 33, 34, 38]

Alcohol-related deaths (aged 45–74 years)

[37]

High-risk alcohol consumption

[32]

Harmful use of alcohol, defined according to the national context as alcohol per capita consumption (aged 15 years and older) within a calendar year in litres of pure alcohol

[29]

Low birthweight

Low birthweight

[27, 29, 34, 37, 38, 42]

Preterm delivery

[29, 38]

Hospital discharges due to delayed intrauterine growth, foetal malnutrition, shortened pregnancy and low birth weight, caesarean sections, and low birth weight infants (by province)

[41]

Small for gestational age

[34]

Perinatal, neonatal, and stillbirths/foetal mortality

Perinatal mortality

[24, 27, 43]

Neonatal mortality rate

[29, 30, 36]

Under-5 mortality rate

[29, 30]

Stillbirth mortality

[29, 36]

Foetal mortality by nationality

[43]

Stillbirths, perinatal mortality, and infant mortality

[38]

General practitioner (GP) utilisation

Health professionals (including doctor/GP/specialist) consultations (by time period)

[31, 32, 34]

Care utilisation (including GP)

[24, 26]

Experience of GP services/Out of Hours service

[36]

% without a GP

[39]

Suicide/self-harm

Suicide mortality

[25, 29, 33, 34, 38]

Suicide and mortality from injury of undetermined intent among people with recent contact from NHS

[36]

Suicides and self-injuries

[43]

Healthcare resources

Hospital beds

[24, 27, 30]

Health facilities

[40]

% areas understaffed in health & education

[39]

Physicians employed (total or rate, by region)

[24, 27, 38, 40]

Specialist surgical workforce (per 100,000 population)

[30]

Nurses employed including/excluding midwives (total and rate)

[24, 27, 40]

Alcohol consumption

Alcohol consumption (total, by sex)

[24, 31, 38]

Alcohol first hospital admissions (aged under 75 years)

[37]

Alcohol risk

[32]

Patterns of alcohol consumption

[25]

Road traffic accidents (injuries and deaths)

Mortality caused by road traffic injury (per 100,000 people)

[29, 30]

Healthy life years lost by traffic accidents and falls

[38]

Road injuries and deaths (register-based and self-reported)

[23, 24, 27]

Food consumption (vegetables, fruit, salt)

Fruit/vegetable consumption (total, by times a day, by age)

[24, 34, 38]

Salt intake

[29, 32]

Low access to healthy food

[39]

Primary studies/ illiteracy

Population by education (including early school leavers)

[24, 28, 39, 42]

Young people who are not in education, employment or training

[35]

Days away from study or work

[32]

Results in math and literacy or years of education

[39]

% illiterate or does not know the language well

[39]

Child well-being

Hospital discharges in girls and boys by age

[41]

Children well-being/achieving a good level of development at age 5

[35, 39]

Early childhood development

[33]

Incidence of one of the 17 most common disorders in children, by sex and age

[31]

Respiratory disease

Mortality rate from respiratory disease (including COPD, total, by age)

[36, 38]

COPD and associated diseases (ICD9MC: 490-496)

[24, 41]

Bronchitis and acute bronchiolitis including emphysema (ICD9MC: 466)

[32, 41]

Care-seeking for symptoms of pneumonia

[29]

Work-related health risks

Health-related quality of life for carers

[36]

Occupational diseases

[43]

Work accidents

[39]

Health worker density and distribution

[29]

Work-related health risks

[24]

People killed in accidents at work

[23]

Dental care/ oral health

Dental consultations

[26, 32, 34]

Tooth extractions in secondary care for children under 10

[36]

Dental care (regular brushing of teeth, regular visits to the dentist, proper diet, and the use of protective agents)

[38]

Dental disease (caries and periodontal disease)]

[36, 38]

Dental pain or discomfort, past month (aged 18+)

[34]

Inability to chew

[33, 34]

Decay-missing-filled teeth index (aged 6–17)

[34]

Policy and legislation

A measure of the effectiveness of post-diagnostic care in sustaining independence and improving quality of life

[36]

New cases of International Health Regulations (IHR)-notifiable diseases and other notifiable diseases

[29]

Total net official development assistance to medical research and basic health sectors prepared

[29]

International health regulations capacity and health emergency preparedness

[29]

Integrated programmes in settings, including workplace, schools, hospital

[24]

Expenditure on public health administrations

[40]

Legislation, plans and funds to fight discrimination and structural health inequalities

[28, 39]

Prevention of HIV in key populations

[29]

Policies and practices on healthy lifestyles including nutrition

[24]

Perceived mental health

Psychological distress (total or by place, by age)

[24, 30, 34]

Excess under 75 mortality rates in adults with common mental illness

[36]

Perceived mental health (fair or poor)

[33, 34]

Pregnancy care/ breastfeeding

Breastfeeding (total, having ever breastfed, initiation, exclusive, by age)

[24, 32, 34]

Recommended duration of breastfeeding

[32]

Hospital discharge for giving birth (ICD9MC: 650)

[41]

% pregnant women receiving prenatal care

[39]

Hip fractures and surgical procedures

Proportion of patients with hip fractures recovering to their previous levels of mobility/walking ability at 30 days

[36]

Fractures including hip, vertebral and forearm fractures (ICD9MC: 800–829) (by province, sex, age)

[41, 43]

Number of surgical procedures including PTCA, hip, cataract (per 100,000 population)

[24, 30]