In a significant contribution to the measurement of global health inequalities, the International Center for Equity in Health (ICEH) unveals its most recent research paper in the February 2024 issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. This edition is dedicated to the critical themes of geopolitics, global health, and equity.

The paper was led by ICEH researcher Leonardo Ferreira and showcases the application of a new composite index for measuring socioeconomic deprivation in low- and middle-income countries using survey data.

The official launch took place at the Prince Mahidol Award Conference, in Bangkok, Thailand. During the event, a short, pre-recorded video of the research paper presenting the key findings and implication of the publication was played to the audience. The full research paper is available here (http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.23.290866) and the abstract can be read below.

Objective To examine inequalities in the coverage of reproductive and maternal health interventions in low- and middle-income countries and territories using a composite index of socioeconomic deprivation status. Methods We obtained data on education and living standards from national household surveys conducted between 2015 and 2019 to calculate socioeconomic deprivation status. We assessed the coverage of reproductive and maternal health interventions, using three indicators: (i) demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods; (ii) women who received antenatal care in at least four visits; and (iii) the presence of a skilled attendant at delivery. Absolute and relative inequalities were evaluated both directly and using the slope index of inequality and the concentration index. Findings In the 73 countries and territories with available data, the median proportions of deprivation were 41% in the low-income category, 11% in the lower-middle-income category and less than 1% in the upper-middle-income category. The coverage analysis, conducted for 48 countries with sufficient data, showed consistently lower median coverage among deprived households across all health indicators. The coverage of skilled attendant at delivery showed the largest inequalities, where coverage among the socioeconomically deprived was substantially lower in almost all countries. Antenatal care visits and demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods also showed significant disparities, favouring the less deprived population. Conclusion The findings highlight persistent disparities in the coverage of reproductive and maternal health interventions, requiring efforts to reduce those disparities and improve coverage, particularly for skilled attendant at delivery.