Can microcredit help improve the health of poor women? Some findings from a cross-sectional study in Kerala, India

International Journal for Equity in Health
Ks MohindraDelampady Narayana

Abstract

This study examines associations between female participation in a microcredit program in India, known as self help groups (SHGs), and women's health in the south Indian state of Kerala. Because SHGs do not have a formal health program, this provides a unique opportunity to assess whether SHG participation influences women's health via the social determinants of health. This cross-sectional study used special survey data collected in 2003 from one Panchayat (territorial decentralized unit). Information was collected on women's characteristics, health determinants (exclusion to health care, exposure to health risks, decision-making agency), and health achievements (self assessed health, markers of mental health). The study sample included 928 non elderly poor women. The primary finding is that compared to non-participants living in a household without a SHG member, the odds of facing exclusion is significantly lower among early joiners, women who were members for more than 2 years (OR = 0.58, CI = 0.41-0.80), late joiners, members for 2 years and less (OR = 0.60, CI = 0.39-0.94), and non-participants who live in a household with a SHG member (OR = 0.53, CI = 0.32-0.90). We also found that after controlling for key women's charac...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Jan 26, 2012·AIDS Care·Marcela ArrivillagaMichael W Ross
Feb 24, 2011·Health Policy and Planning·Sheila LeathermanChristopher Dunford
May 30, 2013·International Journal for Equity in Health·Somen SahaSwati Pathak
Mar 23, 2012·International Journal of Mental Health Systems·Alex CohenVikram Patel
Feb 2, 2012·International Journal of Family Medicine·Kiran RaoSmita Premchander
Aug 6, 2015·International Journal for Equity in Health·Rita Hamad, Lia C H Fernald
Oct 7, 2016·Bulletin of the World Health Organization·Lois OrtonMargaret Whitehead
Feb 17, 2015·WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health·Somen Saha, Peter Leslie Annear
Nov 14, 2018·Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare : Official Journal of the Swedish Association of Midwives·Arupendra MozumdarP S Mohanan
Jul 2, 2021·Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care·Somen Saha

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Microcredit

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