Making health inequality analysis accessible: WHO tools and resources using Microsoft Excel

Abstract Addressing health inequity is a central component of the Sustainable Development Goals and a priority of the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO supports countries in strengthening their health information systems in order to better collect, analyze and report health inequality data. Impro...

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Main Authors: Katherine Kirkby, Daniel A. Antiporta, Anne Schlotheuber, Ahmad Reza Hosseinpoor
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2024-10-01
Series:International Journal for Equity in Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-024-02229-w
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author Katherine Kirkby
Daniel A. Antiporta
Anne Schlotheuber
Ahmad Reza Hosseinpoor
author_facet Katherine Kirkby
Daniel A. Antiporta
Anne Schlotheuber
Ahmad Reza Hosseinpoor
author_sort Katherine Kirkby
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Addressing health inequity is a central component of the Sustainable Development Goals and a priority of the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO supports countries in strengthening their health information systems in order to better collect, analyze and report health inequality data. Improving information and research about health inequality is crucial to identify and address the inequalities that lead to poorer health outcomes. Building analytical capacities of individuals, particularly in low-resource areas, empowers them to build a stronger evidence-base, leading to more informed policy and programme decision-making. However, health inequality analysis requires a unique set of skills and knowledge. This paper describes three resources developed by WHO to support the analysis of inequality data by non-statistical users using Microsoft Excel, a widely used and accessible software programme. The resources include a practical eLearning course, which trains learners in the preparation and reporting of disaggregated data using Excel, an Excel workbook that takes users step-by-step through the calculation of 21 summary measures of health inequality, and a workbook that automatically calculates these measures with the user’s disaggregated dataset. The utility of the resources is demonstrated through an empirical example.
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spelling doaj-art-d7fdb3ded3e14ca888ad942257514ac92024-11-17T12:15:53ZengBMCInternational Journal for Equity in Health1475-92762024-10-0123111310.1186/s12939-024-02229-wMaking health inequality analysis accessible: WHO tools and resources using Microsoft ExcelKatherine Kirkby0Daniel A. Antiporta1Anne Schlotheuber2Ahmad Reza Hosseinpoor3Department of Data and Analytics, Division of Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact, World Health OrganizationDepartment of Data and Analytics, Division of Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact, World Health OrganizationDepartment of Data and Analytics, Division of Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact, World Health OrganizationDepartment of Data and Analytics, Division of Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact, World Health OrganizationAbstract Addressing health inequity is a central component of the Sustainable Development Goals and a priority of the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO supports countries in strengthening their health information systems in order to better collect, analyze and report health inequality data. Improving information and research about health inequality is crucial to identify and address the inequalities that lead to poorer health outcomes. Building analytical capacities of individuals, particularly in low-resource areas, empowers them to build a stronger evidence-base, leading to more informed policy and programme decision-making. However, health inequality analysis requires a unique set of skills and knowledge. This paper describes three resources developed by WHO to support the analysis of inequality data by non-statistical users using Microsoft Excel, a widely used and accessible software programme. The resources include a practical eLearning course, which trains learners in the preparation and reporting of disaggregated data using Excel, an Excel workbook that takes users step-by-step through the calculation of 21 summary measures of health inequality, and a workbook that automatically calculates these measures with the user’s disaggregated dataset. The utility of the resources is demonstrated through an empirical example.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-024-02229-wHealth inequalityHealth equityHealth disparityMicrosoft ExcelCapacity buildingDisaggregated data
spellingShingle Katherine Kirkby
Daniel A. Antiporta
Anne Schlotheuber
Ahmad Reza Hosseinpoor
Making health inequality analysis accessible: WHO tools and resources using Microsoft Excel
International Journal for Equity in Health
Health inequality
Health equity
Health disparity
Microsoft Excel
Capacity building
Disaggregated data
title Making health inequality analysis accessible: WHO tools and resources using Microsoft Excel
title_full Making health inequality analysis accessible: WHO tools and resources using Microsoft Excel
title_fullStr Making health inequality analysis accessible: WHO tools and resources using Microsoft Excel
title_full_unstemmed Making health inequality analysis accessible: WHO tools and resources using Microsoft Excel
title_short Making health inequality analysis accessible: WHO tools and resources using Microsoft Excel
title_sort making health inequality analysis accessible who tools and resources using microsoft excel
topic Health inequality
Health equity
Health disparity
Microsoft Excel
Capacity building
Disaggregated data
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-024-02229-w
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