title: Gender issues in a cataract surgical population in South India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate patterns and characteristics of men and women who used different cataract surgery payment streams in a South Indian hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  We randomly sampled patients with age-related cataract aged 40 years and over from three routine cataract surgical service streams: walk-in paying, walk-in subsidized and free camp. Presenting visual acuity (VA) and cataract surgical details were obtained from routine hospital records. Demographic and socioeconomic factors were collected from patient interviews. Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate factors associated with use of different streams with walk-in paying as the reference group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 7076 eligible admissions (3742 women and 3334 men). Proportionately more women than men attended the walk-in subsidized (56%) or free camp sections (55%) compared to the walk-in paying stream (42%, odds ratio, OR, 1.40 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.25-1.57 and OR 1.33 95% CI 1.19-1.49, respectively). After adjustment for socioeconomic factors (illiteracy, not being in paid work), rural residence and poor presenting VA, OR for women compared to men for the walk-in subsided stream was 1.02, (95% CI 0.87-1.18) and for the free camp 0.94 (95% CI 0.80-1.11).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that women are underrepresented in the paying section, reflecting their poorer socioeconomic and educational statuses.
authors.affiliation: Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology (LAICO), Aravind Eye Care System, Madurai, Tamilnadu, India. sanil@aravind.org
authors.forename: Sanil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.forename: Thulasiraj
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ravilla
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bassett
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002386:Cataract / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005382:Financing, Personal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012424:Rural Population; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014792:Visual Acuity