ARCHIVES
VOL. 11, ISSUE 1 (2026)
An integrated demographic-public health analysis of structural determinants of non-communicable disease inequality in India
Authors
Rama Devi Tadepu, Dr. Rajeev Kumar
Abstract
India’s ongoing
epidemiological transition has resulted in a rapidly expanding burden of
non-communicable diseases (NCDs), yet prevailing explanations continue to
emphasize individual lifestyle risk factors. This study reframes NCD prevalence
through an integrated demographic–public health lens, conceptualizing age and
gender not as background characteristics but as structural determinants that
shape patterned vulnerability across the life-course. Drawing on nationally
representative datasets, including NFHS-5, LASI, ICMR-INDIAB and related
epidemiological evidence, the analysis adopts a descriptive and interpretive
approach grounded in social determinants of health and life-course theory.
Rather than estimating causal effects, the study examines demographic gradients
in diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and obesity, and interprets
these patterns within broader structural contexts. The findings reveal
pronounced age gradients in NCD prevalence, with risk escalating sharply after
midlife, reflecting cumulative exposure to social and economic conditions.
Gender differentials evolve across the life span: men exhibit earlier onset of
cardiometabolic conditions, while women experience intensified burden and
multimorbidity in later life. The interaction between age and gender
demonstrates that inequality unfolds temporally, producing distinct demographic
trajectories of vulnerability rather than additive risk patterns. By
repositioning age and gender as explanatory axes of structural inequality, this
study challenges individualistic prevention models and underscores the need for
life-course-oriented and gender-responsive public health strategies. Addressing
NCD inequality in India requires not only biomedical capacity but also
structural sensitivity in surveillance, planning and intervention design.
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Pages:115-120
How to cite this article:
Rama Devi Tadepu, Dr. Rajeev Kumar "An integrated demographic-public health analysis of structural determinants of non-communicable disease inequality in India". International Journal of Advanced Research and Development, Vol 11, Issue 1, 2026, Pages 115-120
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