Association between socioeconomic status and influenza-like illness: A study from Western part of India

Health status is associated with socioeconomic status (SES) of the individuals. The aim of this study was to identify any link between the SES and influenza-like illness (ILI).

This observational case-control study was done on 18-70 years old patients presented with ILI (cases) at tertiary care hospital of western India. Controls were selected from demographically matched elective surgery patients except the SES. SES was evaluated as per the Modified B G Prasad 2017 scale and participants were further classified in lower SES (per capita income <2000 INR) and non-lower SES groups.

810 cases and 830 controls were compared. Many cases were from lower SES, had poor hand hygiene, and were using soil, mud, ash (SMA) for hand cleaning as compared to the control. Among the cases significant numbers were from lower SES (543/810[67%], P < 0.02), many were alcoholics, smokers, had poor hand hygiene, were using SMA for hand cleaning, and had preexisting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), while few were having diabetes in the lower SES group as compared to the non-lower SES group. ILI was more common among lower SES class in unadjusted analysis (odds ratio [OR] 1.58, 95% CI 0.89-2.76) and the results were significant even after the adjustment of covariates (OR 1.62, 95% CI, 0.94-2.85).

Lower SES people were 2.8 times more prone to ILI as compared to the age- and sex-matched control in western part of India.