Morbidity Pattern and its Determinants among Tribal People in Kerala

Abstract

While Kerala has been hailed for its development in social sectors, the available data show the remarkable finding that Kerala’s morbidity is the highest in India. Literature reveals two major streams of argument for this, one questioning the comparability of the reported rates of morbidity and the other admitting that the higher rates of morbidity actually represent the situation.  The present study analyses the pattern of morbidity in Kerala, tries to analyse the morbidity pattern and finds out the reasons for highest morbidity in highest Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) group and lower morbidity in ST households. The paper argues that the prevalence of lifestyle diseases among highest MPCE group is one critical reason for the high morbidity rates in Kerala. It also proposes urgent interventions on behalf of the government that can effectively counter the high rates of infectious diseases among ST households.