regional mental health inequality in a limited data region in the northeast of iran: a decomposition analysis

Background: limited information still exists about the distribution of mental health (mh) in small districts. considering the diversity in cultural specifications of entities in different societies, the current study aimed-assess the inequality of poor mh and corresponding socio-demographic components in a general population.methods: this population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in gonabad city, north eastern iran. data were collected by a general health questionnaire-28 (ghq-28) assess mh status, considering a cut-off point of 23. the concentration index defines the inequality in the mh. decomposition analysis was done-identify the contribution of each explanatory variable-the socioeconomic inequality in mh prevalence. results: eight hundred subjects were recruited (response rate=98%); approximately 41.6% were aged 30 years or younger, half of whom were females. the overall prevalence of poor mh was 24.7% (95% ci: 21.8-27.9%) and the age-adjusted prevalence of poor mh was 27.5% (95% ci: 24.2-31.2%). a concentration of poor mh prevalence was observed among the poorest people (concentration index: -0.15). socioeconomic status (ses) (59.7%), age (24.1%), and gender (4.7%) were identified as the main contributors-socioeconomic-related inequality in poor mh prevalence.conclusion: poor mh is significantly concentrated among the poorest people. therefore, ses appeared-play a key role in improving the health of individuals, which can lead-improved health status in a community. furthermore, these data suggest that the mh initiative should target the elderly and women via a recently determined family physician plan in iran.