Health, poverty and indigenous households: An empirical analysis of self rated health in Chile

Prior research has shown correlations between poverty and health with lower income associated with poorer health outcomes. Following this same line of research the authors explore relationships between poverty and health amongst the indigenous population in Chile. While worldwide concern for indigenous people gained a voice in the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, little is known empirically about how indigenous people in Chile compare socially and demographically to the non-indigenous population, what mechanisms perpetuate the higher rates of poverty among the indigenous population, how they confront difficult social and economic challenges as they piece together a living, and how the variations in poverty correlate with poor health. Using descriptive and multivariate techniques with nationally representative household data the authors analyze variations in self-rated health between the indigenous and non-indigenous populations in Chile. The results show that Indigenous people are significantly more likely than the non-indigenous population to report bad/very bad health versus good/very good health. The indigenous population is also significantly more likely to report normal health versus good health. The results also indicate a need for further research on the interactions of poverty and residence on health. These results are discussed in the context of indigenous populations, and the efficacy of using self rated health.