Socio-economic determinants of morbidity in Kuwait

Abstract EN

During the last more than four decades, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have experienced unprecedented socio-economic development, which is linked to their hydrocarbon resources and developments in the international crude oil market.

However, the prosperity has come at a price for public health and the region has witnessed change in the disease pattern, whereby there has been significant rise in the chronic (non-communicable) diseases.

Despite the economic and financial burden that these illnesses impose on the region’s economies, there are hardly any studies that have looked at the socio-economic and demographic factors of individual and household morbidity in those countries.

This paper used data from a survey of households in Kuwait completed in 2009/10 to investigate determinants of morbidity in the country.

In view of differences in the duration and dynamics of different diseases, the analysis was conducted separately for chronic illnesses as a group and infectious diseases as a group by estimating Probit models for each group.

Also, given Kuwait’s demographic composition, the models were estimated for three population groups; whole sample, nationals only, and expatriates only.

Prior to estimating the models, tests were conducted to determine if differences in the estimated coeflScients across population groups warrant separate treatment.

The findings of the study have relevance for oil-exporting Arab economies that have similar socio-economic characteristics with respect to issues related to public health.