Countries with women inequalities have higher stroke mortality

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Sociology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Stroke outcomes vary significantly based on women's legal and socioeconomic status.
• Existing research indicates potential links between gender disparities and health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between women's rights indices and gender inequalities with country-level stroke mortality.
• To analyze the relationship between the Gender Inequality Index (GII) and stroke mortality rates in women and men.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 2008 age-standardized stroke mortality data from the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Compared female-to-male stroke mortality ratios and rates using 50 women's rights indices (Women, Business and the Law 2016) and the GII.
• Adjusted analyses for country income levels.

Main Results:

• 176 countries were included; 46 (26.1%) showed higher stroke mortality in women, predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Higher female-to-male stroke mortality ratios correlated with 14 women's rights indices (e.g., employment, banking, domestic violence laws, property rights).
• Increased GII was significantly associated with higher female-to-male stroke mortality ratios (r=0.397, p<0.001) and stroke mortality in women (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Gender inequality is demonstrably associated with poorer stroke outcomes for women.
• Policy interventions promoting women's rights and reducing gender disparities may improve cardiovascular health and reduce stroke mortality.
• Further research is warranted to explore causal pathways and targeted interventions.