Does Reporting Heterogeneity Bias the Measurement of Health Disparities?

Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper No. 2006-033/3

41 Pages Posted: 11 Apr 2006

See all articles by Teresa Bago d'Uva

Teresa Bago d'Uva

University of York (UK)

Eddy van Doorslaer

Erasmus School of Economics

Maarten Lindeboom

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Tinbergen Institute Amsterdam; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Owen A. O'Donnell

University of Macedonia

Somnath Chatterji

World Health Organization

Date Written: March 2006

Abstract

Heterogeneity in reporting of health by socio-economic and demographic characteristics potentially biases the measurement of health disparities. We use anchoring vignettes to identify reporting heterogeneity in self reports on health for Indonesia, India and China. Correcting for reporting heterogeneity tends to reduce estimated disparities in health by age, sex (not Indonesia), urban/rural and education (not China) and to increase income disparities in health. Overall, while homogeneous reporting by socio-demographic group is significantly rejected, the results suggest that the size of the reporting bias in measures of health disparities is not large.

Keywords: health measurement, vignettes, self-reported health, reporting heterogeneity

JEL Classification: D30, D31, I10, I12

Suggested Citation

Bago d'Uva, Teresa and van Doorslaer, Eddy and Lindeboom, Maarten and O'Donnell, Owen A. and Chatterji, Somnath, Does Reporting Heterogeneity Bias the Measurement of Health Disparities? (March 2006). Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper No. 2006-033/3, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=895085 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.895085

Teresa Bago d'Uva (Contact Author)

University of York (UK) ( email )

Heslington
York YO10 5DD
United Kingdom

Eddy Van Doorslaer

Erasmus School of Economics ( email )

Netherlands

Maarten Lindeboom

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam ( email )

De Boelelaan 1105
1081 HV Amsterdam
Netherlands
+31 20 444 6033 (Phone)
+31 20 444 6020 (Fax)

Tinbergen Institute Amsterdam

Gustav Mahlerplein 117
Amsterdam, 1082 MS
Netherlands

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Owen A. O'Donnell

University of Macedonia ( email )

156 Egnatia St.
P.O. 1591
Thessaloniki, 54006
Greece

Somnath Chatterji

World Health Organization ( email )

20 Avenue Appia
Geneva 27, CH-1211
Switzerland

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