Holistic, Life Course-Based Multidimensional Women's Health Index: A Scalable Data-Driven Approach in Ethiopia

Getachew Tilahun of Haramaya University in Ethiopia will develop a health index as a comprehensive, integrated measure of women’s health in Ethiopia. Health indicators will be developed that incorporate the sociocultural and economic context of women across their life course. Based on data from Ethiopia’s Demographic and Health Surveys, these indicators will be used to create a series of health indices, each specific for an age group. New data covering mental health will be integrated by adding questions to the household surveys conducted regularly under Ethiopia’s Health and Demographic Surveillance System. The age-specific indices will be aggregated into a composite index, spanning early childhood to late adulthood. Data modeling will be used to predict the effects on the women’s health index of changes over time in climate, land use, health policy, and health interventions.