Framework Program in Global Health: Grant Recipients

Colleen Hanrahan
Creating a Composite SES index and Household Wealth Measure in a Cohort of HIV-positive Individuals in Rural and Urban Sites in South Africa
Fall 2007

JHU advisor: Jonathan Golub

Country: South Africa

Program: Bloomberg School of Public Health, PhD program

Project Abstract:
Background. Socio-economic status (SES) has been widely shown to have associations with a broad array of health outcomes, including both infectious and chronic diseases, as well as mortality. There is no consensus on how to measure individual SES in studies set in developing countries, particularly with regard to household wealth. 

Objectives. 1. To create a composite index of SES that is reflective of both rural and urban sub-populations of a South African cohort of HIV+ individuals; 2. To develop a measure of accumulated household wealth for inclusion in future data collection; 3. To determine if the newly developed composite index of SES is an independent predictor of mortality within this cohort. 

Methods. One-on-one in person interviews will be conducted with key community informants at the rural and urban sites of the cohort study in South Africa. Analyses of the interviews will identify common themes and responses to inform the creation and weighting a composite index of SES, as well as a measure of household wealth for future collection. Cohort data will be analyzed retrospectively using survival analysis techniques in order to examine whether poverty as measured by the newly created SES composite index is an independent predictor of mortality.