From the former Soviet Union: Socioeconomic health inequalities exist in post-communist Lithuania

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7510.236-a

BMJ 2005;331:236 (23 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7510.236-a

Letter

From the former Soviet Union

Socioeconomic health inequalities exist in post-communist Lithuania

EDITOR—With regard to the health problems highlightedby McKee and Fister,¹ socioeconomic differences and changesare relevant contributors for health policy makers in Lithuania.Lithuania is characterised not only by a high level of socialinequality but also by low social care expenditure. Social careexpenditure comprises 25-35% of gross national product in EuropeanUnion countries, whereas it accounts for only about 15% in Lithuania.The income inequality indicator (Gini coefficient) was 35.4%in 2002.² Social inequality has been strongly influenced bythe fact that even 17% of the working population is engagedin agriculture and nearly one third of the rural populationlives in rural districts.

According to our data analysis, the prevalence of self reportedhealth problems is 72.2% in the rural population and 60.3% inthe urban population. A higher prevalence of self reported healthproblems (69.7%) was estimated in women than in men (57.6%).The prevalence of health problems was dependent on social structure:it was higher in women than in men and in the rural populationthan in the urban population. For the low income rate, the prevalenceof health problems was 3.9 times higher in the rural populationand 2.4 times higher in the urban population. The prevalenceof health problems at low and high income levels was 3.2 timeshigher in women and 2.3 times higher in men.

Health inequalities between urban and rural populations arepredetermined by a different income level related to investments,market opportunities, and social care possibilities.

Differentiation and essential differences in socioeconomic changesbetween urban and rural populations have the pivotal role inhealth inequalities in post-communist Lithuania.

Antanas Jurgelenas, senior research worker

antanas.jurgelenas{at}ekmi.vu.lt
Institute of Experimental and Clinical Medicine at Vilnius University, Zygimantu 9, LT-01102, Vilnius, Lithuania

Diana Mieliauskaite, PhD, Rima Filipaviciute, PhD

Institute of Experimental and Clinical Medicine at Vilnius University, Zygimantu 9, LT-01102, Vilnius, Lithuania

Competing interests: None declared.

References

McKee N, Fister K. Post-communist transition and health in Europe. BMJ 2004;329: 1355-6. (11 December.)[Free Full Text]
Lazutka R. [Population's income inequality]. In Lithuanian. Filosofija Sociologija 2003;2: 22-9.