Ranking Health Status of Children in Iran's Provinces and Assessing its Relation with Socio-Economic Indicators

Child health and child mortality rate are important health indicators in different communities. Different studies have shown variations in these indicators in Iran’s provinces. The purpose of this study was to evaluate children's health status and its relationship with social and economic indicators in Iran. Data of health indicators were collected from the Center for health promotion and development of Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Based on factor analysis method, the health rank of each province was determined. Based on the standardized score of the first factor of factor analysis, the relation between children’s health status and socioeconomic status of provinces was assesses using multiple regression. Assessment of 46 health and mortality indicators as the first factor showed that provinces of Tehran, Gilan, Semnan and Esfahan have more favorable health status, while provinces of Sistan Baluchestan, Hormozgan, Khuzestan and Lorestan have more unfavorable condition. In addition, assessment of health status based on 13 indicators of socioeconomic condition showed that the number of population under 5 years and the number of orphans have negative impact on health status. Furthermore, the provinces with more immigrants had better health status. Provinces with better socioeconomic status have more favorable child health status. Therefore, socioeconomic development was found as an important factor affecting health status of provinces.