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Does the Poverty Take Effect to the Life Expectancy?

Article in Xi'an Shiyou Daxue Xuebao (Ziran Kexue Ban)/Journal of Xi'an Shiyou University · September 2021
DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/FP4QS

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 Xi'an ShiyouDaxueXuebao (ZiranKexue Ban)/
Journal of Xi'an Shiyou University, Natural Sciences Edition
ISSN:1673-064X
E-Publication:Online Open Access
DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/FP4QS

DOES THE POVERTY TAKE EFFECT TO THE LIFE EXPECTANCY?

Teguh Widodo1*, Indang Dewata2, Iswandi Umar3 and Aprizon Putra4
1
Agency the National Population Planning Family Planning (BKKBN) of West Sumatra Province – Indonesia
2
Study Program of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences – Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
3
Study Program of Geography and Environmental Sciences – Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia
4
Doctoral Program of Environmental Sciences – Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia Padang
* Corresponding Author Email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT
The previous researches related to poverty are so many. Unfortunately, they only explained how
success and failed story poverty alleviation in the region. Besides the research explained how poverty
happened and impacted welfare. While poverty researches related to health, are rarely. This research
aims to prove that there is a correlation between poverty and life expectancy. The based on Center
Board of Statistics data 2020, the percentage of poverty in West Sumatra has a correlation with life
expectancy. It means that more poverty in the region will decrease life expectancy. The consequence
of the program is that degree of health in the region can be triggered by reducing poverty itself.
Keywords: poverty, life expectancy, degree of health, west Sumatra

INTRODUCTION
The researches related to poverty are likely so many [1-3] but most of them
described characteristics of poverty, failing, and success stories of alleviating it.
Besides that poverty was viewed from an economic perspective only. While the case
with researches on life expectancy is so many as well but they are also to explain
how it relates to the infant mortality rates, accident, aging, and degenerative
diseases [4-7]. Nonetheless, the researches on how poverty-related to life
expectancy is rarely done. The logical thinking on that reason is if the percentage of
poverty increases, the life expectancy will decrease as well because the poor will get
difficulty getting health access in terms of willingness and ability to pay on health
facilities provided by either the government or privates.
This research aims at proofing that poverty in one’s region will affect life expectancy.
A correlation test is conducted between the percentage of poverty and life
expectancy data at the same time. Focus the research is West Sumatra. It uses
secondary data 2020 available on The West Sumatera Center Board of Statistics
2021. To deliver it, this paper is divided into four parts. Firstly, it explains the
possibility of poverty's effect on life expectancy. The second part talks about the
method used in this research. The third part is the result. It explains how poverty
takes affect life expectancy. The last part is to close remark that explains to
recommendation related to how poverty alleviation may be alternative to increase life
expectancy in a region.
THE POSSIBILITY POVERTY AFFECT THE LIFE EXPECTANCY
The term of poverty refers to the origin word "poor". The use of it created some
methodological challenges. For instance, British in 1601 has formalized The Poor
Relief Act [8]. There were three categories of people who got relief 1) the able-

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 Xi'an ShiyouDaxueXuebao (ZiranKexue Ban)/
Journal of Xi'an Shiyou University, Natural Sciences Edition
ISSN:1673-064X
E-Publication:Online Open Access
DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/FP4QS

bodied poor; 2) the impotent poor such as aging, a disabled person; and 3)
dependent children. What about does poverty in Indonesia? According to World
Bank (2006), there are three (3) predominates of poverty in Indonesia, namely 1)
Most of the households in vulnerability to falling to be poor; 2) Poverty measurement
is based on income only; and 3) Characteristics of poverty in Indonesia are based on
region.
However, over the past 30 years, successive governments have signed a range of
international treaties and agreements that have incorporated definitions of poverty.
For example, in 1975, the European Council adopted a relative definition of poverty
as "individuals or families whose resources are so small as to exclude them from the
minimum acceptable way of life of the Member State in which they live". The concept
of "resources" was defined as "goods, cash income, plus services from public, and
private resources" [9].
Definitions of poverty are so many and most of them explain shortcomings. For
instance, according to Sholch cited by [10], poverty is a condition of inability to meet
basic consumption needs and improve conditions, lack of business opportunities, to
a broader understanding that includes social and moral aspects. Another definition
coming from [11] is that poverty, either chronic or transitory is low-income. The terms
refer to someone who is not wealthy enough to lead a life of leisure and
independence, and therefore, could be considered one of the common people, or as
someone with a low income. According to [12] poverty is the people’s condition that
cannot fulfill the living standard.
According to [13], poverty affects different aspects of people’s lives, existing when
people are denied opportunities to work, to learn, to live healthy and fulfilling lives,
and to live out their retirement years in security. Lack of income, access to good
quality health, education, and housing, and the quality of the local environment all
affect people’s well-being, where our view of poverty covers all these aspects.
RESEARCH METHODS
This research uses secondary data gotten from the [14]. Both poverty and life
expectancy are macro indicators and they always to be performance targets to the
region both province and regencies/cities. It appropriates to Rule of the Ministry of
home affairs No. 97/2017. It is mentioned that reducing poverty and increasing
health status is always be main indicators of local government. As the consequence,
these two data indicators are always measured annually by BPS. The purpose of
measurement is to know achievement conducted by local government in terms of
reducing poverty and enhancing health quality.
Suppose that life expectancy is a dependent variable that is affected by poverty
(independent variable). The constructed assumption in this equation is if the
percentage of poverty increases then it is possible that life expectancy will decrease.
Why is it happen? Its clearly because poverty will be a barrier to the poor to get
health access such as community health centers and other health facilities.
Someone, because of their economic inability made them cannot pay health

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 Xi'an ShiyouDaxueXuebao (ZiranKexue Ban)/
Journal of Xi'an Shiyou University, Natural Sciences Edition
ISSN:1673-064X
E-Publication:Online Open Access
DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/FP4QS

insurance so that if they suffer from diseases, they cannot pay for medical treatment
as well. As a consequence, the chance to heal decreases.
Life expectancy is to be one of the indicators of the human development index which
consists of the degree of health, the average length of school, and purchasing
power. So far, the life expectancy will increase if the prevalence of disease
decreases, infant and maternal mortality decreases as well. In developing countries,
life expectancy tends to increase because health access is easier and more
complete than before. So far, the infant mortality rate was so high because of the
lack of health facilities and access so that slow in the handling of the childbirth
process. Otherwise, if the health facilities and access are adequate, is it possible for
the life expectancy to decrease? Of course, it is still possible if the community still
has difficulty accessing health facilities due to their inability to pay due to economic
conditions or, more roughly, chronic or temporary poverty factors.
Admitted that poverty indirectly has a potential to decrease life expectancy in a
region, but indirectly this will have less effect if the poor get access to health facilities
when they are sick. It means that even though they are poor, there are no obstacles
in accessing health services to cope with their patients.
In many cases, such as the most developed countries, the poor get the same
services in health access so that poverty does not affect life expectancy. On the
other hand, in developing countries, many people pretend to be poor by not wanting
to pay state health insurance, so that they are subsidized by the government. This
condition makes the country even more burdensome to bear the poverty rate.
Life expectancy also indicates the health quality in one’s region because everything
that deals with disease management and decreasing mortality rate is to increase life
expectancy. The economic consequences that can be broken down from the
increased life expectancy in an area are 1) the cost of life and health insurance will
decrease; 2) community productivity will increase; and 3) people's incomes also
increase. The based on the two data (poverty and life expectancy, finally can be
conducted simple regression. The formula is as follows.
+e
RESEARCH RESULTS
The poverty rate in West Sumatera 2020 was around 6,28%. The highest
percentage happened in the Mentawai Islands. It was around 14,35%. The lowest
was in Sawahlunto City and Solok City. They were 2,16% and 2,77% respectively.
However, this poverty rate is not comparable to the unemployment rate, where the
unemployment rate in the Mentawai Islands is only 3.98%. The deep meaning of this
figure is that labor productivity in the Mentawai Islands has not been able to alleviate
the poverty that has existed in the region so far.
This research is to understand more deeply the possible correlation between poverty
and life expectancy in West Sumatra. Based on BPS 2020, the life expectancy in this
region reached 72,38 years old with the highest life expectancy reached by the

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 Xi'an ShiyouDaxueXuebao (ZiranKexue Ban)/
Journal of Xi'an Shiyou University, Natural Sciences Edition
ISSN:1673-064X
E-Publication:Online Open Access
DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/FP4QS

Bukittinggi City reaching 80,58 years old, and the lowest in the Mentawai Islands
Regency which was 61,09 years old. The low life expectancy in the Mentawai
Islands Regency may be due to the large number of infant deaths caused by delays
in assistance. Understandably, these islands have difficulty accessing health
services and the lack of health facilities, so that many of the people's illnesses are
referred to hospitals in Padang City. For the rich Mentawai people, if they want to
give birth, two weeks before the birth, they usually go to Padang City to prepare for
birth, so that if the birth process is abnormal, the rich will quickly get assistant. On
the other hand, the Mentawai people who are poor due to lack of money, just wait on
the island until the birth process occurs. If there are obstacles in their birth, they just
surrender and wait for the ship to dock every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Table 1. The poverty rate and life expectancy 2020 in West Sumatra Province

Regions Poverty & life expectancy 2020

Provelty Life expectancy
West Sumatra (Province) 6,28 72,38
Mentawai Islands Regency 14,35 61,09
Pesisir Selatan Regency 7,61 69,90
Solok Regency 7,81 69,08
Sijunjung Regency 6,78 67,74
Tanah Datar Regency 4,40 72,33
Padang Pariaman Regency 6,95 70,61
Agam Regency 6,75 72,46
Lima Puluh Kota Regency 6,86 69,47
Pasaman Regency 7,16 66,64
Solok Selatan Regency 7,15 69,04
Dharmasraya Regency 6,23 71,51
Pasaman Barat Regency 7,04 68,49
Padang City 4,40 82,82
Solok City 2,77 78,29
Sawahlunto City 2,16 72,64
Padang Panjang City 5,24 77,93
Bukittinggi City 4,54 80,58
Payakumbuh City 5,65 78,90
Pariaman City 4,10 76,90

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 Xi'an ShiyouDaxueXuebao (ZiranKexue Ban)/
Journal of Xi'an Shiyou University, Natural Sciences Edition
ISSN:1673-064X
E-Publication:Online Open Access
DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/FP4QS

Source Url: https://sumbar.bps.go.id/indicator/23/34/1/persentase-penduduk-miskin-

menurut-kabupaten-kota-di-sumatera-barat.html. Access Time: May 2, 2021, 10:11
pm

Fig 1. Life Expectancy in West Sumatra 2020

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 Xi'an ShiyouDaxueXuebao (ZiranKexue Ban)/
Journal of Xi'an Shiyou University, Natural Sciences Edition
ISSN:1673-064X
E-Publication:Online Open Access
DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/FP4QS

Fig 2. Poverty Rate in West Sumatra 2020

Based on the two data, where life expectancy (le) and poverty rate (pov) and after
conducting a simple regression analysis is performed, it is used to measure the
influence of one independent variable (x) on the dependent variable (y) and the
eligibility requirements for using this method are 1) The number of samples used
must be e equal; 2) The number of independent variables is only one; 3) The
residual value is normally distributed; and 4) There is a linear relationship between
the variables x and y.
To find out the residual value is normally distributed, this research uses the
Kolmogorov Smirnov test as follows: 1) Normally distributed data, and 2) Data is not
normally distributed.
By looking at the probability numbers, provided that:
Probability (P-value) > 0.05 then Ho is accepted
Probability (P-value) <0.05 then Ho is rejected
The calculation results state that the probability (p-value) is 0.140 because the
probability is greater than the test level used, namely 0.05 in the study, so there is
sufficient evidence to state that Ho is accepted. Thus it can be concluded that the
data follow the normal distribution.

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 Xi'an ShiyouDaxueXuebao (ZiranKexue Ban)/
Journal of Xi'an Shiyou University, Natural Sciences Edition
ISSN:1673-064X
E-Publication:Online Open Access
DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/FP4QS

Tabel 2. One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test

One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test
Pov2020 Le2020
N 20 20
Mean 5.7500 69.6000
Normal Parametersa
Std. Deviation 2.48945 2.70283
Absolute .258 .113
Most Extreme Differences Positive .258 .091
Negative -.141 -.113
Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z 1.153 .504
Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .140 .961
a. Test distribution is Normal.
In general, the formula for a simple linear regression equation is Y= a + bX.
Meanwhile, to find out the value of the regression coefficient, it can refer to the
output in the following coefficients Table 3 below.

Tabel 2. Dependent Variable

Coefficientsa

Unstandardized Standardized
Model Coefficients Coefficients T Sig.
B Std. Error Beta

(Constant) 65.23
73.995 1.134 .000
6
1
Pov2020 -
-.764 .182 -.704 .001
4.206
a. Dependent Variable: Le2020
DISCUSSIONS
a = constant number of unstandardized coefficients. In this case, the value is 73.995.
This figure is a constant number which means that if there is no poverty rate in a
region, so the consistent value of life expectancy is 73.995.

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 Xi'an ShiyouDaxueXuebao (ZiranKexue Ban)/
Journal of Xi'an Shiyou University, Natural Sciences Edition
ISSN:1673-064X
E-Publication:Online Open Access
DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/FP4QS

b = number of regression coefficients, the value is -0.764. This figure means that for
every 1% addition to the poverty rate, the life expectancy will increase by -0.764. Due
to the negative value of the regression coefficient, it can be said that poverty hurts life
expectancy, so the equation is written as follows:
Y= 73,995 – 0,764 X
To find out whether the regression coefficient is significant or not, the tests are
carried out as follows:
H0 = There is no effect of Poverty on life expectancy
H1 = There is an effect of Poverty on life expectancy
As for the basis for making decisions in this regression analysis by looking at the
significance value (Sig) of the SPSS. processing output results
1. If the sig value is smaller than the alpha value of 0.05, it means that there is an
influence between poverty and life expectancy
2. On the other hand, if the sig value is greater than the alpha value of 0.05, it means
that there is no influence between poverty and life expectancy.
The results show that there is an influence between poverty on life expectancy by
seeing that the sig value is 0.001 which means it is smaller than alpha 0.05.
To see the magnitude of the influence of poverty on life expectancy, the results of
SPSS processing outputs are as follows (Tabel 4).
Tabel 4. Model Summary
Model Summaryb

R Adjusted R
Model R Std. Error of the Estimate
Square Square

1 .704a .496 .468 1.97217

a. Predictors: (Constant), Pov2020
b. Dependent Variable: Le2020
The based on output, the R Square value is 0.496. It implies that the effect of poverty
on life expectancy is 49.6%, while 50.4% of life expectancy is influenced by other
variables that are not be examined.
CONCLUSIONS
Finally, this research strengthens that poverty takes an opportunity to get health
facilities so that if the poor are sick, they cannot pay for medical treatment. It is
because they may not pay medical insurance so that medical treatment cannot be
generated by medical officers. It is possible to recommend that subsidize them in
terms of paying state medical insurance (BPJS) will make them get medical services.
In developed countries, it may run well, so that the poor are guaranteed medical

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Journal of Xi'an Shiyou University, Natural Sciences Edition
ISSN:1673-064X
E-Publication:Online Open Access
DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/FP4QS

treatment. On the contrary, in developing and under-developing countries it may not

be covered apart. There are some deadly diseases and high-cost treatment cannot
be paid overall so that the opportunity to live longer is to be impossible. Life
expectancy is closely related to the opportunity to get health access when people
suffer from the disease. They need medical treatment in enhancing the chance to
heal so that the opportunity of life is hopefully longer. Besides the life insurance, the
poor also face difficulty to get decent food so that what they meal sometimes not
sufficient in nutrition so that they easily suffer from diseases.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author would like to thank the subjects and respondents, to friends and all
parties who have helped in the collection of data to the preparation of this Scientific
Writing. Thank you, the authors also convey the Center for Population and BKKBN of
West Sumatra Province for their input, financial assistance, criticism, and advice.
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ISSN:1673-064X
E-Publication:Online Open Access
DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/FP4QS

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