Making health inequality analysis accessible: WHO tools and resources using Microsoft Excel

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Systems Strengthening
• Health Equity Research

Background:

• Addressing health inequity is a global priority aligned with Sustainable Development Goals.
• Effective health information systems are crucial for collecting, analyzing, and reporting health inequality data.
• Identifying and addressing health inequalities is vital for improving population health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe three World Health Organization (WHO) resources designed to support non-statistical users in analyzing health inequality data.
• To provide accessible tools for individuals, particularly in low-resource settings, to build analytical capacity.
• To enhance the evidence base for policy and program decision-making regarding health equity.

Main Methods:

• Development of three WHO-created resources utilizing Microsoft Excel.
• An eLearning course for preparing and reporting disaggregated data.
• Two Excel workbooks for step-by-step calculation and automatic computation of 21 summary measures of health inequality.

Main Results:

• The resources facilitate the analysis of health inequality data by users with limited statistical expertise.
• The tools enable the calculation of 21 summary measures of health inequality.
• An empirical example demonstrates the practical utility of these resources.

Conclusions:

• The developed WHO resources effectively support non-statistical users in analyzing health inequality data using accessible software.
• These tools can empower individuals and strengthen health information systems globally.
• Improved analytical capacity can lead to more informed policies and programs to address health inequities.