1Professor and HOD, Community Medicine Department Rural Medical College, A/p: Loni Tal: Rahata, Dist: Ahmednagar, Maharashtra
2Professor, Community Medicine Department Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College, Dhanakawadi, Satara Road, Pune
*Corresponding author: Doke Prakash Prabhakarrao, Professor, Community Medicine Department, harati Vidyapeeth Medical College, Pune. Phone Numbers: +912227427907, E-mail: prakash.doke@gmail.com
Online published on 27 May, 2015.
At international level human development report is published every year. At national level state wise human development report is published regularly. Such reports below state level are scarcely available. One of the reasons may unavailability of statistics pertaining to life expectancy at birth.
To explore the possibility of using infant mortality rate and/or crude death rate as proxy indicator to life expectancy at birth.
Desk analysis of available data for the years 2005–08 was carried out. State wise data required for calculation of human development index was obtained from websites and the indices for the states were computed. Then proxy indicators were used in place of life expectancy at birth and modified human development indices for states were calculated. We used total five indicators derived from infant mortality rate and crude death rate. Correlations of these modified human development indices and conventional human development indices were studied. Correlation by using SPSS and significance of correlation by using t test was computed.
All five indicators have strong and significant correlation with conventional index. Highest correlation was found when 50% weightage is given to infant mortality rate and crude death rate.
Even crude death rate can be considered as good proxy for life expectancy at birth. The modified human development index can be considered for smaller units like districts.
Life expectancy at birth, Proxy-indicators, Modified Human Development Index
