Estimating Health Determinants of Two Generations: Evidence from Selected Districts of Pakistan

Abstract

Health status is an important indicator of quality of life. There are a number of social, economic and administrative factors and physical environment at personal, family, community, and national levels that shape the health status of individuals, households, communities or nations. These factors determine the health status of people, which is crucial to the economic development of the country. The present study estimates the range of health determinants for the two generations in Pakistan. The results show that access to health facilities, family literacy level, household size, housing and sanitation facilities, nutrition and drinking water, family income, maternal mortality rate and rural/urban area are important determinants of health across generations in the country. The study uses primary data of two generations, with sample size of 2000 households. This paper is the first of its kind in Pakistan which tries to find out the generational effect on determinants of health.