Socio-Economic Status or Caste? Inequities in Maternal and Newborn Health Care in Rural Uttar Pradesh, India

Many inequities in the coverage of essential interventions in pregnancy, childbirth and newborn and child health, especially those that require contact with the health system, persist within countries.

Although economic inequities may be the most visible and profound, there can be other sources of social disadvantage.

Poverty and caste are important determinants of health, including maternal healthcare.

IDEAS conducted a descriptive analysis of socio-economic and caste-based inequities in the coverage of:

a) Interactions between women and front-line health staff

b) Interventions for antenatal, intrapartum and postanatal care

Conclusions

There were more socioeconomic than caste based inequities and more inequities in interactions between women and the health system than in the coverage of interventions.