ESRA 2027 sessions by theme
Back to Overview of Sessions
Can Household Surveys Anticipate the Future Health Status of a Population? The Case of Medication Consumption in Algeria |
| Coordinator 1 | Dr Samira SIFER (Associate Professor - Higher School of Business Studies, IRDE-ENSSEA, Algiers-Algeria. ) |
| Coordinator 2 | Professor Amel GUEHAIRIA (Full Professor - National Higher School of Statistics and Applied Economics, IRDE, Algiers-Algeria) |
Session Details
In Algeria, medication consumption has been increasing for over a decade, in a context shaped by declining purchasing power, pressure on health systems, and growing environmental vulnerability. This paper draws on a survey of 500 households in the Algiers administrative province conducted in 2010–2011 to identify the determinants of medication consumption across five dimensions: socioeconomic; biological and genetic; cultural and behavioural; physical and mental health; and healthcare service use.
The findings point to excessive use of analgesics and antibiotics, a concentration of demand in two major therapeutic areas—cardiology-angiology and metabolism-nutrition-diabetes—and a shift in the underlying determinants of morbidity. Heredity, historically predominant, appears to be giving way to overweight and chronic stress. Among children and young adults, respiratory conditions also appear to be associated with air pollution and the urban environment.
A decade later, several of these issues, particularly analgesic and antibiotic use and the aggravating role of urban pollution in respiratory conditions, can be observed again in the post-COVID context. However, no follow-up survey was conducted, so these parallels cannot be interpreted as longitudinal evidence; the comparison remains qualitative.
More broadly, the survey shows that household socioeconomic conditions structure medication consumption, regardless of therapeutic class. This raises questions about the scope of regulatory policies focused primarily on pricing and import controls. A systemic approach addressing socioeconomic precarity, health education, a healthy environment, and equitable access to healthcare appears necessary.
This paper contributes to the study of social inequalities in health by showing how a cross-sectional household survey conducted more than a decade ago can inform the understanding of current health dynamics while distinguishing qualitative hindsight from longitudinal evidence.
bibliography :
• DESINGLY François, L’enquête et ses méthodes - le questionnaire, 2ème édition, ARMAND COLIN, 2005.
and Others reference
