Literacy, not income, key to improving public health in India

New research suggests public health in developing countries may be better improved by reducing illiteracy rather than raising average income. Economic policies narrowly focused on growth are insufficient when it comes to public health in less developed countries - Lawrence King Pro-market policies for developing countries have long been based on the belief that increasing average income is key to improving public health and societal well-being. But new research on India published in the journal Social Science and Medicine shows that literacy - a non-income good - has a greater impact on public health in India. While the researchers, based at Cambridge's Department of Sociology, accept it is broadly true that "wealthier is healthier" across the roughly 500 districts in India's 'major states', accounting for 95% of the total population, they find that poverty and, crucially, illiteracy are much stronger predictors of poor public health than low average income. A poor district can nonetheless enjoy relatively good public health if it has a high literacy rate, say researchers. Literacy acts as a base, enabling populations to understand medicine labeling, access healthcare, and engage with public health programmes. Using data on income, education, and under-five and infant mortality, the researchers suggest that policymakers concerned with public health should focus on literacy levels rather than average income.