The Effect of Public Health System Performance on Child Well-Being: An Analysis Through the Construction and Selection of Composite Indicators

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Authors: Angélica Santos, Matheus Libório, André Coimbra, Marcos Dangelo, Petr Ekel, Hasheem Mannan, Heveraldo Rodrigues de Oliveira, Iara Sibele Silva
Cited by: 1
References: 35

Abstract

Interest in child health and well-being is growing, and both are multidimensional. Composite indicators (CIs) are useful tools for analyzing their relationships. This study examines the correlation between the CI of child well-being and that of public health system performance and proposes a weighting scheme for constructing CIs. Among schemes, entropy weighting yielded the strongest correlation. Uncertainty analysis revealed that country rankings with entropy weighting are the most stable, demonstrating robust CI. Strong explanatory power indicates that the CIs correlate with GDP, validating their compatibility with a key reference variable. High discriminant power confirms that CIs provide informational diversity, helping decision-makers distinguish between countries. The analysis shows that better health system performance is associated with higher child well-being, reinforcing the role of public health systems in promoting sustainable development and child well-being.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Quality of Life Measurement Global Maternal and Child Health Global Health Care Issues

Publication details

Journal / source
World
Publisher
MDPI AG
Volume
7
Issue
5
Pages
76–76
Publication date
7 May 2026
Language
EN