Assessing the Social Dimension of Health in Rural India: A Transverse Study

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Social health will be formed with the help of a healthy family, a healthy and communicating society, an individual having basic knowledge of good and healthy living practices, an individual giving equal respect to all genders and each age group, and full utilization of his productive time with his own choice of work. Promoting health and active participation of people in social and civic behaviors is considered one of the indicators of youth development. The present study focuses on assessing the social health status of study participants in rural areas in terms of illiteracy, gender discrimination, unemployment, and substance abuse. Objectives: To assess the social health profile of the study population (illiteracy, unemployment, male gender preference, and domestic violence) and to associate the social health profile with the demographic profile of the study participants. Materials and Methods: The present study is a cross-sectional study done at the Rural Demographic Surveillance Site of the Native Institute. A total of 430 individuals in the 15–59 years age group, both male and female, were included in the study. Data are analyzed using percentage, proportion, mean, and standard deviation. The association between social health problems and demographic factors was estimated by confidence interval, significance level. Results: The most prevalent social health problem among the study participants was unemployment (45%), followed by illiteracy (43%), substance abuse (18%), domestic violence (11%), and attitudes favoring male gender preference (7%) in the descending order. On correlation analysis, illiteracy found to be associated with age, gender, marital status, family type, education, occupation, and socioeconomic status (SES). Male gender preference attitude is associated with age, marital status, education while domestic violence is associated with age, gender, marital status, education, occupation, and SES. Unemployment found to be associated with age, gender, marital status, education, occupation, and SES. Substance abuse is associated with age, gender, marital status, and type of family. On multivariate analysis, unemployment was found to be associated with gender, illiteracy was associated with age, gender, and type of family, substance abuse was found to be associated with age, gender, and education level, and attitudes favoring male gender preference were found to be associated with marital status, age, and education level. Conclusion: Various social health problems are prevalent in rural India, and these problems are not only associated with education level but also dependent on various other factors. A targeted approach can help reduce these problems and ultimately improve the social health status of rural populations.