Caste, religion and regional differentials in life expectancy at birth in India: cross-sectional estimates from recent National Family Health Survey

Objective Though estimates of longevity are available by states, age, sex and place of residence in India, disaggregated estimates by social and economic groups are limited. This study estimates the life expectancy at birth and premature mortality by caste, religion and regions of India.Design This...

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Main Authors: Meena Kumari, Sanjay K Mohanty
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2020-08-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/8/e035392.full
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author Meena Kumari
Sanjay K Mohanty
author_facet Meena Kumari
Sanjay K Mohanty
author_sort Meena Kumari
collection DOAJ
description Objective Though estimates of longevity are available by states, age, sex and place of residence in India, disaggregated estimates by social and economic groups are limited. This study estimates the life expectancy at birth and premature mortality by caste, religion and regions of India.Design This study primarily used cross-sectional data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015–2016 and the Sample Registration System (SRS), 2011–2015. The NFHS-4 is the largest ever demographic and health survey covering 601 509 households and 811 808 individuals across all states and union territories in India.Measures The abridged life table is constructed to estimate the life expectancy at birth, adult mortality (45q15) and premature mortality (70q0) by caste, religion and region.Results Life expectancy at birth was estimated at 63.1 years (95% CI 62.60 -63.64) for scheduled castes (SC), 64.0 years (95% CI 63.25 - 64.88) for scheduled tribes (ST), 65.1 years (95% CI 64.69 - 65.42) for other backward classes (OBC) and 68.0 years (95% CI 67.44 - 68.45) for others. The life expectancy at birth was higher among o Christians 68.1 years (95% CI 66.44 - 69.60) than Muslims 66.0 years (95% CI 65.29 - 66.54) and Hindus 65.0 years (95% CI 64.74 -65.22). Life expectancy at birth was higher among females than among males across social groups in India. Premature mortality was higher among SC (0.382), followed by ST (0.381), OBC (0.344) and others (0.301). The regional variation in life expectancy by age and sex is large.Conclusion In India, social and religious differentials in life expectancy by sex are modest and need to be investigated among poor and rich within these groups. Premature mortality and adult mortality are also high across social and religious groups.
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spelling doaj-art-86afd8fe0ac34b4aba01f3626a3367652025-08-20T02:38:49ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552020-08-0110810.1136/bmjopen-2019-035392Caste, religion and regional differentials in life expectancy at birth in India: cross-sectional estimates from recent National Family Health SurveyMeena Kumari0Sanjay K Mohanty1Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, Colchester, UKDepartment of Population and Development, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaObjective Though estimates of longevity are available by states, age, sex and place of residence in India, disaggregated estimates by social and economic groups are limited. This study estimates the life expectancy at birth and premature mortality by caste, religion and regions of India.Design This study primarily used cross-sectional data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015–2016 and the Sample Registration System (SRS), 2011–2015. The NFHS-4 is the largest ever demographic and health survey covering 601 509 households and 811 808 individuals across all states and union territories in India.Measures The abridged life table is constructed to estimate the life expectancy at birth, adult mortality (45q15) and premature mortality (70q0) by caste, religion and region.Results Life expectancy at birth was estimated at 63.1 years (95% CI 62.60 -63.64) for scheduled castes (SC), 64.0 years (95% CI 63.25 - 64.88) for scheduled tribes (ST), 65.1 years (95% CI 64.69 - 65.42) for other backward classes (OBC) and 68.0 years (95% CI 67.44 - 68.45) for others. The life expectancy at birth was higher among o Christians 68.1 years (95% CI 66.44 - 69.60) than Muslims 66.0 years (95% CI 65.29 - 66.54) and Hindus 65.0 years (95% CI 64.74 -65.22). Life expectancy at birth was higher among females than among males across social groups in India. Premature mortality was higher among SC (0.382), followed by ST (0.381), OBC (0.344) and others (0.301). The regional variation in life expectancy by age and sex is large.Conclusion In India, social and religious differentials in life expectancy by sex are modest and need to be investigated among poor and rich within these groups. Premature mortality and adult mortality are also high across social and religious groups.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/8/e035392.full
spellingShingle Meena Kumari
Sanjay K Mohanty
Caste, religion and regional differentials in life expectancy at birth in India: cross-sectional estimates from recent National Family Health Survey
BMJ Open
title Caste, religion and regional differentials in life expectancy at birth in India: cross-sectional estimates from recent National Family Health Survey
title_full Caste, religion and regional differentials in life expectancy at birth in India: cross-sectional estimates from recent National Family Health Survey
title_fullStr Caste, religion and regional differentials in life expectancy at birth in India: cross-sectional estimates from recent National Family Health Survey
title_full_unstemmed Caste, religion and regional differentials in life expectancy at birth in India: cross-sectional estimates from recent National Family Health Survey
title_short Caste, religion and regional differentials in life expectancy at birth in India: cross-sectional estimates from recent National Family Health Survey
title_sort caste religion and regional differentials in life expectancy at birth in india cross sectional estimates from recent national family health survey
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/8/e035392.full
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AT sanjaykmohanty castereligionandregionaldifferentialsinlifeexpectancyatbirthinindiacrosssectionalestimatesfromrecentnationalfamilyhealthsurvey