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The study analyses relationship between household’s income levels and health status in Zanzibar. Specifically, the study investigated the relationship between household’s income and morbidity, mortality and life expectancy respectively. The study used morbidity, mortality and life expectancy as health proxies rather than using health index as it would narrow the scope of investigation. Income and other socioeconomic determinants like age, gender, marital status, education, health care accessibility, number of meals and BMI were used as predictors of health status. To achieve the objective of the study, relevant cross-sectional primary data were collected from 96 respondents in urban district. The data collected were analyzed and relevant descriptive statistics were reported. Seemingly Unrelated Regression was employed as the method of estimation. Post regression tests such normality tests, correlation matrix, endogeneity test and Breusch-Pagan test were performed to avoid spurious regression. The findings show that, household’s income was found to have positive correlations with health status since it was estimated to increase by 41% from one unit increase of income of the rich compared to the income of the poor households as was expected holding other variables constant. Based from the findings, the study concludes that, variations of socioeconomic status in relation to lifestyles are the main predictors of health status. Since the rich suffer due to their unhealthy behaviours and the poor due to their poverty. Therefore, the government has to minimize income inequality by increasing income distributions and asset ownership to enable the poor to manage medical services and nutritious food for a healthy life. In addition should also emphasize the importance of changing lifestyles via national wise sports like SHIMIWI, UMISSETA, UMITASHUMTA and BAMATA targeting to minimize tobacco and alcoholic intake, insisting on physical activity, proper diet and natural food intake for healthy and productive society and not only targeting the rich but also the poor households. |
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