GENDER DIFFERENTIALS in HYPERTENSION CASCADE in INDIA: EVIDENCE from NATIONAL FAMILY HEALTH SURVEY-5 (2019-21)

Ashish Kumar Upadhyay, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Sarang Pedgaonkar, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Abhishek Singh, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

While there is evidence on gender difference in prevalence of hypertension in India, evidence is limited on gender differences in hypertension awareness, treatment and control (ATC). There is no evidence on hypertension ATC at local levels, such as districts in India. Using data from National Family health Survey-5 (2019-21), we examined gender differences in hypertension ATC at district level in India and the role of healthcare utilization on the ATC rates. While prevalence of hypertension is higher among men than women, hypertension ATC rates are significantly higher among women. Gender difference in ATC rates are much higher in the reproductive age (15-49) while it declines among adults age 50 years or more. While four or more antenatal care (ANC) visits was associated with lower difference in awareness in spatial regressions, four or more ANC visits was associated with larger gender difference in treatment. Hypertension ATC rates, though higher among women than men, were quite low among even among women. Promoting four or more ANC visits could be a cost-effective intervention that India may pursue to increase hypertension ATC among women. Screening husbands of pregnant women with measured hypertension during ANC visits could help improve hypertension ATC among men.

Keywords: Gender Dynamics, Health and Morbidity, Small area estimation, Spatial Demography

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