Dual Atkinson measure of socioeconomic inequality of health
The Dual Atkinson measure is a method to assess how health and socioeconomic status are unequally distributed across a population, using a unified framework that treats both variables symmetrically. It compares actual distributions to an equitable scenario that would yield the same overall social welfare.
At a glance
Use when
Assessing socioeconomic inequality in health with a normative, welfare-based approach; comparing inequality across populations or over time; when symmetry between health and socioeconomic dimensions is desired
Avoid when
Health or socioeconomic data are ordinal or poorly measured; when a descriptive (non-normative) measure is preferred; if the joint distribution is sparse or incomplete
Inputs
Joint distribution of health and socioeconomic status (e.g., individual-level data on health outcomes and income/education/occupation)
Outputs
A symmetric inequality index value for health and socioeconomic status, reflecting welfare loss due to inequality; optionally decomposed by subgroups
How it works
The method extends the Atkinson index of income inequality to bivariate settings involving health and socioeconomic status. It derives an inequality index based on a social evaluation function dependent on both variables, ensuring that the index yields identical values when applied to either dimension. The index satisfies symmetry, transfers, and subgroup decomposition properties, and allows for variable inequality aversion parameters.
- HTA domains
- Clinical Effectiveness, Patient and Social Aspects, Aspects Beyond HTA
- Assumptions
- Social welfare depends on both health and socioeconomic status; the social evaluation function is symmetric and concave; inequality aversion is well-defined and consistent across dimensions
- Strengths
- Provides a welfare-theoretic foundation for measuring health inequality; symmetric treatment of health and socioeconomic variables; consistent with normative principles of inequality measurement; allows for sensitivity analysis via inequality aversion parameters
- Limitations
- Requires strong assumptions about the form of the social welfare function; relies on cardinalization of health and socioeconomic variables; may be sensitive to choice of inequality aversion parameter; data requirements can be demanding
- Also known as
- Dual Atkinson index, Atkinson measure for health inequality
Questions this answers
- › How can we measure socioeconomic inequality in health in a way that is consistent with welfare-based inequality measures?
- › How can health and socioeconomic inequality be assessed within a unified framework?
- › What level of inequality aversion does society exhibit in relation to health and income distributions?
- › How does inequality in health compare to inequality in socioeconomic status using the same ethical principles?
- › Can a single index consistently measure inequality in both health and socioeconomic status?
- › What would be the equivalent equal distribution of health or income that maintains current social welfare?
References & sources
Similar by meaning
- Health inequality aversion elicitation (Atkinson/Kolm parameters)
- Evaluation of Intervention Impact on Health Inequality for Resource Allocation
- Distributional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (DCEA)
- WHO Health Equity Assessment Toolkit Plus (HEAT Plus)
- Aggregate Distributional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (ADCEA)
Beta record. Generated from the primary source via AI extraction and independent audit, pending final human review.