A simple method of obtaining a health hazard index and its application in micro-regional health planning

Abstract

Mukherjee B. N. (1976) A simple method of obtaining a health hazard index and its application in micro-regional health planning, Reg. Studies, 10 105–122. A simple procedure has been described here to solve the problem of identifying settlements within a block or even a large agglomeration which run the risk of health hazard and thus in need of adequate health facilities. Following a simple weighting technique, a health hazard index has been derived on the basis of information for each settlement with respect to existing health facilities, death and infant mortality rates, accessibility conditions, percentage of female literacy, etc. For the sake of simplicity, the above index was obtained by weighted sum of the above variables after transforming each one to decile scores. The advantages of this technique are that it uses readily available data, does not require the use of a computer, and provides a simple method of assessing the relative level of health hazard for different settlements. Using the techniques of factor analysis and principal component analysis, it has been shown using three different sets of empirical data that the ordering of the settlements within a block in terms of the proposed health hazard index does not vary much from the ranking of these settlements according to first principal component or composite scores obtained from the principal axis weights. The pros and cons of factor analysis as an alternative technique has been discussed. Different mathematical properties of the proposed index have also been delineated.

Keywords:

• Health hazard
• Decile point
• General settlement plan
• Arbitrary weighting
• Principal component analysis
• Principal component weights
• Principal axis solution
• Factor weights
• Cross validation