Differences in hospital admissions for males and females in northern Uganda in the period 1992—2004: a consideration of gender and sex differences in health care use
Loading...
Date
2007
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Abstract
To inform our understanding of male and female health care use, we assessed
sex differences in hospital admissions by diagnosis and for in-patient mortality using discharge
records for 210 319 patients admitted to the Lacor Hospital in northern Uganda in the period
1992—2004. These differences were interpreted using a gender framework. The overall number
of admissions was similar by sex, yet differences emerged among age groups. In children
(0—14 years), malaria was the leading cause of admission, and the distribution of diseases was
similar between sexes. Among 15—44 year olds, females had more admissions, overall, and for
malaria, cancer and anaemia, in addition to delivery and gynaeco-obstetrical conditions (25.7%
of female admissions). Males had more admissions for injuries, liver disease and tuberculosis
in the same age group. In older persons (≥45 years), women had more admissions for cancer,
hypertension, malaria and diarrhoea, while, as for the previous age group, males had more
admissions for injuries, liver disease and tuberculosis. This study provides insight into sex- and
gender-related differences in health. The analysis and documentation of these differences are
crucial for improving service delivery and for assessing the achievement of the dual goals of
improving health status and reducing health inequalities.
Description
Keywords
Inequality, Disease burden, Health care delivery, Conflict, Uganda
Citation
Accorsi, S., Fabiani, M., Nattabi, B., Ferrarese, N., Corrado, B., Iriso, R., ... & Declich, S. (2007). Differences in hospital admissions for males and females in northern Uganda in the period 1992–2004: a consideration of gender and sex differences in health care use. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 101(9), 929-938. doi:10.1016/j.trstmh.2007.03.019