IASSI-Quarterly

Agendas of sustainable development, in the truest sense, seek pathways for equal and justified betterment for humans of all sects, benefitting every nook and corner of the territory. While public health is an indicator of social and economic well-being and contributes directly to sustainable development, public health services are utterly limited and rapidly heterogeneous, specifically across the rural part of India. Because the health condition of the rural population, specifically the economically weaker rural residences, is dependent largely on subsidised public health services, a gap in such services will inherently link it to producing unhealthy populations and increasing the burden of diseases, leading to a range of social and economic inequalities.

This study employs the primary data collected from 173 neighbourhoods selected throughout the district of Purulia in West Bengal. Secondary datasets are also utilised. Selected thirteen predictor variables as indicators of certain parameters act as the determinants of public health are finalized. A combination of one indicator each from incidence-based, prevalence-based, and public-opinion-based measurement constructs the response variable. Randomly generated two sets of data are used to generate two separate PLS (Partial Least Square) Path Models. The SRMR (Standardized Root Mean Squared Residual) values of each of the two models confirm the goodness of fit of each model; the identical nature of the same model based on two parallel datasets assures the consistency of the PLS-Path model in mapping public health studies.

The PLS-Path model successfully identifies the crucial actors of public health that are specific to locations throughout the district and that policymakers may take care of while framing strategies for mitigating public health inequalities.