Laishram Ladusingh - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Laishram Ladusingh

Background: Local contextual factors are important for effective intervention for improving nutri... more Background: Local contextual factors are important for effective intervention for improving nutritional status of children of indigenous people living in remote and inaccessible regions. Objective: This study attempts to shed light on contextual correlates of malnutrition among children in northeast India. Methodology: Household environment which includes provision for safe drinking water, toilet facility, biomass fuel use and housing condition are considered as contextual factors for this study. Each contextual factor was assigned score of 0 or 1 depending on the condition is favourable for the health of children or not; then an index of household environmental health risks incorporating these contextual factors was constructed as the sum of scores of each contextual factor. Descriptive statistics were used for describing nutritional status of children and multilevel multiple regression was used for assessment of significance of contextual, child and mother level factors in explaining variation in nutritional status of children. Results: It was found that 8.9%, 3.7% and 3.6% of children in high, medium and low risk households respectively, were severely wasted. Lower household health risks, literate household heads, and scheduled tribe households had a deterrent effect on child malnutrition. Children who received colostrum feeding at the time of birth and those who were vaccinated against measles were less likely to be wasted compared to other children, and these differences were statistically significant. Conclusion: This study showed the importance of household environmental health risks as important determinant of child malnutrition in northeast India.

Bristol University Press eBooks, Apr 16, 2018

Bristol University Press eBooks, Apr 16, 2018

Ageing International, Aug 16, 2021

Background: Local contextual factors are important for effective intervention for improving nutri... more Background: Local contextual factors are important for effective intervention for improving nutritional status of children of indigenous people living in remote and inaccessible regions. Objective: This study attempts to shed light on contextual correlates of malnutrition among children in northeast India. Methodology: Household environment which includes provision for safe drinking water, toilet facility, biomass fuel use and housing condition are considered as contextual factors for this study. Each contextual factor was assigned score of 0 or 1 depending on the condition is favourable for the health of children or not; then an index of household environmental health risks incorporating these contextual factors was constructed as the sum of scores of each contextual factor. Descriptive statistics were used for describing nutritional status of children and multilevel multiple regression was used for assessment of significance of contextual, child and mother level factors in explain...

Applied Demography and Public Health in the 21st Century, 2016

This study sheds light on the implication of changing demographics, particularly of gradual popul... more This study sheds light on the implication of changing demographics, particularly of gradual population ageing in India on the burden of healthcare expenditures (HCE) as a share of the gross domestic product (GDP). The key input is estimating the age patterns of HCE by integrating inpatient and outpatient costs from the unit level data of the National Sample Survey , then linking it with the trend in the aggregate level HCE from the National Account Statistics and projected population from the United Nations. Finally, it predicts the possible effects of age composition changes on future healthcare costs. Findings reveal that the growth of age-compositional effect on HCE shall increase from 0.5% in 2005 to 0.8% in 2025 and expected to remain stable afterwards. However, age-compositional effect on GDP may drop from 0.6 to 0.4% during the same period. The findings of the study are crucial for evolving a sustainable healthcare support system in view of the impending population ageing in India.

World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2016

Asia-Pacific Population Journal, 2005

Con trary to the find ings in other parts of In dia, in the northeast ern re gion, fe male chil d... more Con trary to the find ings in other parts of In dia, in the northeast ern re gion, fe male chil dren have a nu tri tional edge over male chil dren.

Journal of Public Health, 2016

AimThis paper examines the pattern, growth and determinants of household health spending in India... more AimThis paper examines the pattern, growth and determinants of household health spending in India and compares the growth of per capita household health spending and per capita consumption expenditure over the last two decades.Subject and methodsThe unit data of various rounds of the National Sample Survey (consumption expenditure surveys 1993–1994, 2004–2005 and 2011–2012 and morbidity and health care surveys 1995–1996 and 2004) along with data from other secondary sources are used in the analyses. The patterns and growth of health spending are analyzed by demographic, social and economic attributes and economic well-being is measured using per capita consumption expenditure. Household health spending is subdivided into age structure, population growth, real cost of medical care and increased hospitalization. Descriptive statistics, fixed effect models and simple decomposition methods are used in the analyses.ResultsResults suggest that during 1993–2012, the annual growth rate of real per capita household health spending was twice (6.14 %) the real per capita consumption expenditure (2.60 %). On average, per capita household health spending among the richest consumption quintile was at least eight times higher than that of the poorest consumption quintile, linking household health spending to ability to pay. Household health spending was income inelastic. Though medicine accounts for a larger share of household health spending, household spending on medical tests is growing fast. We found a strong and positive gradient of age on per capita household health spending after controlling for income and other confounders. During 1995–2004, the age structure, hospitalization and real cost of hospitalization accounted for a 14, 42 and 26 % increase in the cost of hospitalization respectively.ConclusionHousehold health spending is growing faster than the consumption expenditure (economic well being) of household and changing age structure is significantly affecting health spending in India. Increased public spending on health, upgrading the public health system and increasing access to health insurance can reduce the household health spending in India.

Science, 2014

Longer lives and fertility far below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman are leading to... more Longer lives and fertility far below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman are leading to rapid population aging in many countries. Many observers are concerned that aging will adversely affect public finances and standards of living. Analysis of newly available National Transfer Accounts data for 40 countries shows that fertility well above replacement would typically be most beneficial for government budgets. However, fertility near replacement would be most beneficial for standards of living when the analysis includes the effects of age structure on families as well as governments. And fertility below replacement would maximize per capita consumption when the cost of providing capital for a growing labor force is taken into account. Although low fertility will indeed challenge government programs and very low fertility undermines living standards, we find that moderately low fertility and population decline favor the broader material standard of living.

Sociological Bulletin, 2006

This paper analyses sex preference for children in Manipur under the assumption that couples sati... more This paper analyses sex preference for children in Manipur under the assumption that couples satisfied with sex composition of children resort to contraceptive practice to discontinue childbearing. The study is based on primary data on sex composition of living children and contraceptive use collected from a representative sample of currently married women spread over all the districts in the state of Manipur. The analysis reveals that there is moderate son preference invariant of residence and socioeconomic background, but not at the cost of balance sex composition of a boy and a girl. Not all women are satisfied with 'only daughters', though 'only sons' in the family is acceptable. Son preference is stronger among illiterate and nonworking women and women above 30 years of age.

Journal of Health Management, 2015

Burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases are high in northeast (NE) India. The region... more Burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases are high in northeast (NE) India. The region is underdeveloped economically and public health care infrastructure is inadequate. This article sheds light on reasons for poor utilization of public health facilities and gap in the rich–poor benefit incidence of public health expenditure. The findings of the study indicate non-availability of facilities, long waiting time and poor quality of care as main reasons for non-utilization of public health facilities. As regards benefit incidence of public health expenditure for outpatient, the poor gets the larger share but in totality, the rich benefits more than the poor. The article concludes that multi-prong strategies and reorientation of health system to suit the health care needs of northeast India are imperative to reduce burden of disease and to restore equity in the benefit incidence of public health care expenditure.

Work and Health in India, 2017

This chapter addresses the crucial issues of gender and rural–urban differences in the time spent... more This chapter addresses the crucial issues of gender and rural–urban differences in the time spent on unpaid household work in India. These are particularly pressing issues given the wide disparities between these groups. Women are largely under-represented in the workforce in India. According to a McKinsey Global Institute report on gender parity, women in India are almost ten times more likely to be engaged in unpaid work such as cooking, cleaning, and taking care of children and older members of the family than are men. This compares with a global average of roughly three times the amount of time spent by men. The findings that women spend more time than men in unpaid household activities related to management and maintenance and care of children, sick, elderly and disabled household members provide clear evidence that there is gender division of unproductive and productive activities which is induced by prevailing sociocultural norms and practices.

Social Science Spectrum, 2016

This paper shows the potential of time use data to bring out one more dimension of gender based d... more This paper shows the potential of time use data to bring out one more dimension of gender based discrimination which has not been circulated much in literature, that is, the invisible burden of women in doing unpaid household work. Care of infant and children, sick and elderly not only depend solely on women but they also cook food, wash utensils and cloths, clean and keep household tidy to sustain the lives of its members. These are true for all women regardless of their education, occupation and residence.

Social Science Spectrum, 2016

This study aims to shed light on the changing pattern of household healthcare and food expenditur... more This study aims to shed light on the changing pattern of household healthcare and food expenditure in the context of changing household age composition in India over time. Findings indicate that per capita expenditure has increased significantly both for food and healthcare during 1993-2010. With respect to the food and healthcare expenditure of household, the share of consumption by children under 15 years has declined over time, while that by adults of 15-59 years and elderly above 60 years has increased substantially during the same period.

India Studies in Business and Economics, 2017

This study sheds light on the pattern and trend of chronic diseases among the elderly over time u... more This study sheds light on the pattern and trend of chronic diseases among the elderly over time using three sources of data—NSSO 60th round (2004), WHO-SAGE (WHO SAGE Survey Manual: The WHO Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE). Geneva, World Health Organization. 2006) and LASI (Longitudinal Aging Study in India, Pilot Wave. Harvard School of Public Health, International Institute of Population Sciences, Mumbai, India, and RAND Corporation. 2011). Based on ICD-10, the diseases are been classified into three categories—communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases and other diseases and disabilities. Trends in prevalence of diseases under these three broad classifications by sex, age groups and residence are estimated and analyzed. A decomposition method has been used, to check the significant difference in the gender gaps in the prevalence of morbidity. Non-communicable and other diseases and disabilities are found to have increase over time regardless of background characteristics of individuals, whereas it is the reverse case for communicable diseases and the prevalence of diseases are higher among elderly females than the males. The gender differentials in prevalence of diseases are found to be statistically significant. The concluding message of the study is that morbidities among the elderly are expected to escalate in future.

Work and Health in India, 2017

This introductory chapter provides an overview of work, stress, and health in India. India is one... more This introductory chapter provides an overview of work, stress, and health in India. India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The growth of the Indian economy has been matched by the steady increase in its labour force. However, globalisation and rapid industrial growth in India in the last few years has led to occupational health-related issues emerging. The major factors that contribute to the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders in India include the increase in life expectancy, changes in lifestyles, stressful living and working conditions, and general lack of support systems that enable better coping mechanisms. Ultimately, work-related stress represents a major and costly health problem for individuals, companies, and nations.

Background: This study sought to identify background of households whose members are at risk of d... more Background: This study sought to identify background of households whose members are at risk of death while undergoing treatment in tertiary care hospitals as inpatients. In addition, the study aimed to find the differentials in out-of-pocket (OOP) household expenditure incurred during hospitalization between decedents and survivors and to assess the household and state-level factors which explained OOP hospitalization expenditure. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using nationally representative data on morbidity and healthcare from the National Sample Survey Organization. Differential in OOP hospitalization expenditure between decedents' and survivors' households by household characteristics, types of facilities, medical and non-medical items of expenditures were assessed. Multilevel logistic and multiple regressions were used for the identification of households at risk of death of its members while undergoing care at a tertiary healthcare hospital and for ...

In spite of an increasing demand for reliable information of cause and distribution of mortality,... more In spite of an increasing demand for reliable information of cause and distribution of mortality, civil registration systems in most developing countries still do not yield the complete and accurate data required for the direct estimation of mortality rates. In India, where civil registration system and SRS lacks sufficient power to produce reliable estimates of mortality across life stages. Our knowledge of age-pattern of mortality depends largely on cross-sectional data from censuses /surveys providing us information on recent deaths in the households. Most of the household surveys are not designed to derive mortality estimates over all ages. This paper aims to fill this gap by analyzing large scale household survey (DLHS-III) conducted in 20072008 in India. We have computed age specific mortality rates for all age groups after adjusting infants/child exposure period by “Date by Year cohort” method. Brass two parameter logit model has been used to graduate non-linearity of estimat...

Background: Local contextual factors are important for effective intervention for improving nutri... more Background: Local contextual factors are important for effective intervention for improving nutritional status of children of indigenous people living in remote and inaccessible regions. Objective: This study attempts to shed light on contextual correlates of malnutrition among children in northeast India. Methodology: Household environment which includes provision for safe drinking water, toilet facility, biomass fuel use and housing condition are considered as contextual factors for this study. Each contextual factor was assigned score of 0 or 1 depending on the condition is favourable for the health of children or not; then an index of household environmental health risks incorporating these contextual factors was constructed as the sum of scores of each contextual factor. Descriptive statistics were used for describing nutritional status of children and multilevel multiple regression was used for assessment of significance of contextual, child and mother level factors in explaining variation in nutritional status of children. Results: It was found that 8.9%, 3.7% and 3.6% of children in high, medium and low risk households respectively, were severely wasted. Lower household health risks, literate household heads, and scheduled tribe households had a deterrent effect on child malnutrition. Children who received colostrum feeding at the time of birth and those who were vaccinated against measles were less likely to be wasted compared to other children, and these differences were statistically significant. Conclusion: This study showed the importance of household environmental health risks as important determinant of child malnutrition in northeast India.

Bristol University Press eBooks, Apr 16, 2018

Bristol University Press eBooks, Apr 16, 2018

Ageing International, Aug 16, 2021

Background: Local contextual factors are important for effective intervention for improving nutri... more Background: Local contextual factors are important for effective intervention for improving nutritional status of children of indigenous people living in remote and inaccessible regions. Objective: This study attempts to shed light on contextual correlates of malnutrition among children in northeast India. Methodology: Household environment which includes provision for safe drinking water, toilet facility, biomass fuel use and housing condition are considered as contextual factors for this study. Each contextual factor was assigned score of 0 or 1 depending on the condition is favourable for the health of children or not; then an index of household environmental health risks incorporating these contextual factors was constructed as the sum of scores of each contextual factor. Descriptive statistics were used for describing nutritional status of children and multilevel multiple regression was used for assessment of significance of contextual, child and mother level factors in explain...

Applied Demography and Public Health in the 21st Century, 2016

This study sheds light on the implication of changing demographics, particularly of gradual popul... more This study sheds light on the implication of changing demographics, particularly of gradual population ageing in India on the burden of healthcare expenditures (HCE) as a share of the gross domestic product (GDP). The key input is estimating the age patterns of HCE by integrating inpatient and outpatient costs from the unit level data of the National Sample Survey , then linking it with the trend in the aggregate level HCE from the National Account Statistics and projected population from the United Nations. Finally, it predicts the possible effects of age composition changes on future healthcare costs. Findings reveal that the growth of age-compositional effect on HCE shall increase from 0.5% in 2005 to 0.8% in 2025 and expected to remain stable afterwards. However, age-compositional effect on GDP may drop from 0.6 to 0.4% during the same period. The findings of the study are crucial for evolving a sustainable healthcare support system in view of the impending population ageing in India.

World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2016

Asia-Pacific Population Journal, 2005

Con trary to the find ings in other parts of In dia, in the northeast ern re gion, fe male chil d... more Con trary to the find ings in other parts of In dia, in the northeast ern re gion, fe male chil dren have a nu tri tional edge over male chil dren.

Journal of Public Health, 2016

AimThis paper examines the pattern, growth and determinants of household health spending in India... more AimThis paper examines the pattern, growth and determinants of household health spending in India and compares the growth of per capita household health spending and per capita consumption expenditure over the last two decades.Subject and methodsThe unit data of various rounds of the National Sample Survey (consumption expenditure surveys 1993–1994, 2004–2005 and 2011–2012 and morbidity and health care surveys 1995–1996 and 2004) along with data from other secondary sources are used in the analyses. The patterns and growth of health spending are analyzed by demographic, social and economic attributes and economic well-being is measured using per capita consumption expenditure. Household health spending is subdivided into age structure, population growth, real cost of medical care and increased hospitalization. Descriptive statistics, fixed effect models and simple decomposition methods are used in the analyses.ResultsResults suggest that during 1993–2012, the annual growth rate of real per capita household health spending was twice (6.14 %) the real per capita consumption expenditure (2.60 %). On average, per capita household health spending among the richest consumption quintile was at least eight times higher than that of the poorest consumption quintile, linking household health spending to ability to pay. Household health spending was income inelastic. Though medicine accounts for a larger share of household health spending, household spending on medical tests is growing fast. We found a strong and positive gradient of age on per capita household health spending after controlling for income and other confounders. During 1995–2004, the age structure, hospitalization and real cost of hospitalization accounted for a 14, 42 and 26 % increase in the cost of hospitalization respectively.ConclusionHousehold health spending is growing faster than the consumption expenditure (economic well being) of household and changing age structure is significantly affecting health spending in India. Increased public spending on health, upgrading the public health system and increasing access to health insurance can reduce the household health spending in India.

Science, 2014

Longer lives and fertility far below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman are leading to... more Longer lives and fertility far below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman are leading to rapid population aging in many countries. Many observers are concerned that aging will adversely affect public finances and standards of living. Analysis of newly available National Transfer Accounts data for 40 countries shows that fertility well above replacement would typically be most beneficial for government budgets. However, fertility near replacement would be most beneficial for standards of living when the analysis includes the effects of age structure on families as well as governments. And fertility below replacement would maximize per capita consumption when the cost of providing capital for a growing labor force is taken into account. Although low fertility will indeed challenge government programs and very low fertility undermines living standards, we find that moderately low fertility and population decline favor the broader material standard of living.

Sociological Bulletin, 2006

This paper analyses sex preference for children in Manipur under the assumption that couples sati... more This paper analyses sex preference for children in Manipur under the assumption that couples satisfied with sex composition of children resort to contraceptive practice to discontinue childbearing. The study is based on primary data on sex composition of living children and contraceptive use collected from a representative sample of currently married women spread over all the districts in the state of Manipur. The analysis reveals that there is moderate son preference invariant of residence and socioeconomic background, but not at the cost of balance sex composition of a boy and a girl. Not all women are satisfied with 'only daughters', though 'only sons' in the family is acceptable. Son preference is stronger among illiterate and nonworking women and women above 30 years of age.

Journal of Health Management, 2015

Burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases are high in northeast (NE) India. The region... more Burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases are high in northeast (NE) India. The region is underdeveloped economically and public health care infrastructure is inadequate. This article sheds light on reasons for poor utilization of public health facilities and gap in the rich–poor benefit incidence of public health expenditure. The findings of the study indicate non-availability of facilities, long waiting time and poor quality of care as main reasons for non-utilization of public health facilities. As regards benefit incidence of public health expenditure for outpatient, the poor gets the larger share but in totality, the rich benefits more than the poor. The article concludes that multi-prong strategies and reorientation of health system to suit the health care needs of northeast India are imperative to reduce burden of disease and to restore equity in the benefit incidence of public health care expenditure.

Work and Health in India, 2017

This chapter addresses the crucial issues of gender and rural–urban differences in the time spent... more This chapter addresses the crucial issues of gender and rural–urban differences in the time spent on unpaid household work in India. These are particularly pressing issues given the wide disparities between these groups. Women are largely under-represented in the workforce in India. According to a McKinsey Global Institute report on gender parity, women in India are almost ten times more likely to be engaged in unpaid work such as cooking, cleaning, and taking care of children and older members of the family than are men. This compares with a global average of roughly three times the amount of time spent by men. The findings that women spend more time than men in unpaid household activities related to management and maintenance and care of children, sick, elderly and disabled household members provide clear evidence that there is gender division of unproductive and productive activities which is induced by prevailing sociocultural norms and practices.

Social Science Spectrum, 2016

This paper shows the potential of time use data to bring out one more dimension of gender based d... more This paper shows the potential of time use data to bring out one more dimension of gender based discrimination which has not been circulated much in literature, that is, the invisible burden of women in doing unpaid household work. Care of infant and children, sick and elderly not only depend solely on women but they also cook food, wash utensils and cloths, clean and keep household tidy to sustain the lives of its members. These are true for all women regardless of their education, occupation and residence.

Social Science Spectrum, 2016

This study aims to shed light on the changing pattern of household healthcare and food expenditur... more This study aims to shed light on the changing pattern of household healthcare and food expenditure in the context of changing household age composition in India over time. Findings indicate that per capita expenditure has increased significantly both for food and healthcare during 1993-2010. With respect to the food and healthcare expenditure of household, the share of consumption by children under 15 years has declined over time, while that by adults of 15-59 years and elderly above 60 years has increased substantially during the same period.

India Studies in Business and Economics, 2017

This study sheds light on the pattern and trend of chronic diseases among the elderly over time u... more This study sheds light on the pattern and trend of chronic diseases among the elderly over time using three sources of data—NSSO 60th round (2004), WHO-SAGE (WHO SAGE Survey Manual: The WHO Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE). Geneva, World Health Organization. 2006) and LASI (Longitudinal Aging Study in India, Pilot Wave. Harvard School of Public Health, International Institute of Population Sciences, Mumbai, India, and RAND Corporation. 2011). Based on ICD-10, the diseases are been classified into three categories—communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases and other diseases and disabilities. Trends in prevalence of diseases under these three broad classifications by sex, age groups and residence are estimated and analyzed. A decomposition method has been used, to check the significant difference in the gender gaps in the prevalence of morbidity. Non-communicable and other diseases and disabilities are found to have increase over time regardless of background characteristics of individuals, whereas it is the reverse case for communicable diseases and the prevalence of diseases are higher among elderly females than the males. The gender differentials in prevalence of diseases are found to be statistically significant. The concluding message of the study is that morbidities among the elderly are expected to escalate in future.

Work and Health in India, 2017

This introductory chapter provides an overview of work, stress, and health in India. India is one... more This introductory chapter provides an overview of work, stress, and health in India. India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The growth of the Indian economy has been matched by the steady increase in its labour force. However, globalisation and rapid industrial growth in India in the last few years has led to occupational health-related issues emerging. The major factors that contribute to the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders in India include the increase in life expectancy, changes in lifestyles, stressful living and working conditions, and general lack of support systems that enable better coping mechanisms. Ultimately, work-related stress represents a major and costly health problem for individuals, companies, and nations.

Background: This study sought to identify background of households whose members are at risk of d... more Background: This study sought to identify background of households whose members are at risk of death while undergoing treatment in tertiary care hospitals as inpatients. In addition, the study aimed to find the differentials in out-of-pocket (OOP) household expenditure incurred during hospitalization between decedents and survivors and to assess the household and state-level factors which explained OOP hospitalization expenditure. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using nationally representative data on morbidity and healthcare from the National Sample Survey Organization. Differential in OOP hospitalization expenditure between decedents' and survivors' households by household characteristics, types of facilities, medical and non-medical items of expenditures were assessed. Multilevel logistic and multiple regressions were used for the identification of households at risk of death of its members while undergoing care at a tertiary healthcare hospital and for ...

In spite of an increasing demand for reliable information of cause and distribution of mortality,... more In spite of an increasing demand for reliable information of cause and distribution of mortality, civil registration systems in most developing countries still do not yield the complete and accurate data required for the direct estimation of mortality rates. In India, where civil registration system and SRS lacks sufficient power to produce reliable estimates of mortality across life stages. Our knowledge of age-pattern of mortality depends largely on cross-sectional data from censuses /surveys providing us information on recent deaths in the households. Most of the household surveys are not designed to derive mortality estimates over all ages. This paper aims to fill this gap by analyzing large scale household survey (DLHS-III) conducted in 20072008 in India. We have computed age specific mortality rates for all age groups after adjusting infants/child exposure period by “Date by Year cohort” method. Brass two parameter logit model has been used to graduate non-linearity of estimat...