Introducing sesIndia: an R package for updating and calculating socioeconomic scales in India - a computing tool

Rajeev Aravindakshan; Praveen Kumar S.

doi:10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20252492

Authors

Rajeev Aravindakshan Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalagiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India
Praveen Kumar S. Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalagiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20252492

Keywords:

BG Prasad scale, Kuppuswamy scale, R package, Socioeconomic status scale

Abstract

Socioeconomic status (SES) measures health status and living standards. The B.G. Prasad and Kuppuswamy scales are used to classify individuals based on SES in Indian setting. These measures required adjustments in line with financial inflationary trends that affect income. To help in updating and calculating these SES scales sesIndia package is developed, where the package uses consumer price index for industrial workers (CPI-IW). An R package was developed and tested to update SES scale and calculate SES classifications in India. The sesIndia uses valid inputs CPI-IW (website which updates CPI-IW) provides updated B.G. Prasad and Kuppuswamy scale income thresholds. It also computes SES classes for B.G Prasad and Kuppuswamy scales. The sesIndia package enables researchers to reliably calculate SES with updated CPI-IW. The R package sesIndia guarantees precise and reproducible SES classification. SES being a part of most public health and policy research, such a package which accounts for inflation trends will be robust tool for researchers. The source code for sesIndia can be accessed from https://github.com/pk041199/sesIndia.

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