Estimation of A Community Health Status Index on the Basis of a MIMIC Model

A Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) Model which treats the health status of the community as an unobservable variable is presented here. On the basis of this model a community health status index (CHSI) has been estimated for 15 states of India using cross-section data on health indicators and health causes separately for the years 1971 and 1981. This index is useful in ranking the States in terms of their health status and in monitoring their progress. The estimated values of the structural coefficients in the model throw light on the differential marginal impact of improvement in health causes on the CHSI and also on the different health indicators.