THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Women in Kerala report higher illness rates than men after the age of 30, a new report from the Department of Economics and Statistics has revealed.
The data is in surprising contrast to a common perception that men typically face higher morbidity rates as they age while women are often more resilient biologically.
Going by the findings, the percentage of women reporting illnesses jumps by 4 percentage points once they surpass this age, while the disparity between men and women remains around 2 percentage points from age 45 and above.
Notably, men over 60 are less likely to report ailments. The study, ‘Report on Household Social Consumption: Health’, draws on data from the 75th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS) Socio-Economic Survey conducted from July 2017 to June 2018.
However, inpatient data indicates an opposite trend: men aged 45 and above are more likely to be hospitalised than women counterparts, with the gap reaching nearly 9,000 additional male admissions after age 70.
Health experts say the observed higher reporting of illness among women may stem from their increased likelihood of consulting healthcare providers.
Expert: Surveys can be susceptible to bias
“Women tend to report ailments more frequently, possibly due to more regular visits to healthcare providers. There could be increased reporting of minor conditions, as well as issues related to menstruation and pregnancy, which aren’t necessarily serious,” said Dr V Ramankutty, emeritus professor at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology.
The survey also sheds light on the health risks faced by men and women. Infections are the leading cause of hospitalisation for both men (25%) and women (27%).
For men, major health risks include injuries (14%) and cardiovascular diseases (13%), while for women, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases are the predominant causes of hospital admissions.
Dr P Sindu, professor and head of the community medicine department at Government Medical College in Kollam, indicated that women may express their health concerns more readily than men.
“Surveys can be susceptible to bias, but it’s essential to recognise that overall morbidity tends to be higher among men than women,” she said.
The report highlights that the proportion of people reporting illness in Kerala is more than three times the national average, reflecting the state’s higher morbidity rates.