title: Income and health in Accra, Ghana: results from a time use and health study.
abstract: This paper uses newly collected household survey data from Accra, Ghana, to investigate whether incomes affect acute and chronic health outcomes in settings that can be considered representative for the large and rapidly growing urban centers of sub-Saharan Africa. The Time Use and Health Study in Accra collected information on incomes, current health status, and health care use from 5,484 persons in 1,250 households, each repeatedly sampled on a rolling basis for a period of 13 weeks. Data collection took place during September 2008-March 2010 to capture seasonal variations. The study found that incomes varied widely between households, and that a high fraction of persons lived below the poverty line. Despite this level of income poverty and an overall remarkably high burden of treatable disease, no systematic differences in self-reported and objectively measured health conditions were detected across socioeconomic groups.
authors.affiliation: Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. gfink@hsph.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Günther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Weeks
authors.forename: Allan G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D011203:Poverty; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors