Breaking Barriers to Healthcare Access: A Multilevel Analysis of Individual- and Community-Level Factors Affecting Women’s Access to Healthcare Services in Benin

<i>Background:</i> In low-income countries such as Benin, most people have poor access to healthcare services. There is scarcity of evidence about barriers to accessing healthcare services in Benin. Therefore, we examined the magnitude of the problem of access to healthcare services and...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Betregiorgis Zegeye, Ziad El-Khatib, Edward Kwabena Ameyaw, Abdul-Aziz Seidu, Bright Opoku Ahinkorah, Mpho Keetile, Sanni Yaya
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
Series:International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/2/750
id doaj-0d102bfa8d324cc88b568c1856d05d10
record_format Article
spelling doaj-0d102bfa8d324cc88b568c1856d05d102021-01-18T00:00:42ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1661-78271660-46012021-01-011875075010.3390/ijerph18020750Breaking Barriers to Healthcare Access: A Multilevel Analysis of Individual- and Community-Level Factors Affecting Women’s Access to Healthcare Services in BeninBetregiorgis Zegeye0Ziad El-Khatib1Edward Kwabena Ameyaw2Abdul-Aziz Seidu3Bright Opoku Ahinkorah4Mpho Keetile5Sanni Yaya6HaSET Maternal and Child Health Research Program, Shewarobit Field Office, Shewarobit P.O. Box 127, EthiopiaDepartment of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, SwedenSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, AustraliaDepartment of Population and Health, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, PMB 0494, GhanaSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, AustraliaDepartment of Population Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB 0022, Gaborone, BotswanaSchool of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada<i>Background:</i> In low-income countries such as Benin, most people have poor access to healthcare services. There is scarcity of evidence about barriers to accessing healthcare services in Benin. Therefore, we examined the magnitude of the problem of access to healthcare services and its associated factors. <i>Methods:</i> We utilized data from the 2017–2018 Benin Demographic and Health Survey (n = 15,928). We examined the associations between the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of women using multilevel logistic regression. The outcome variable for the study was problem of access to healthcare service. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated. <i>Results:</i> Overall, 60.4% of surveyed women had problems in accessing healthcare services. Partner’s education (AOR = 0.70; 95% CI; 0.55–0.89), economic status (AOR = 0.59; 95% CI; 0.47–0.73), marital status (AOR = 0.44; 95% CI; 0.39–0.51), and parity (AOR = 1.85; 95% CI; 1.45–2.35) were significant individual-level factors associated with problem of access to healthcare. Region (AOR = 5.24; 95% CI; 3.18–8.64) and community literacy level (AOR = 0.69; 95% CI; 0.51–0.94) were the main community-level risk factors. <i>Conclusions:</i> Enhancing husband education through adult education programs, economic empowerment of women, enhancing national education coverage, and providing priority for unmarried and multipara women need to be considered. Additionally, there is the need to ensure equity-based access to healthcare services across regions.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/2/750accesshealthcare servicesbarriersrisk factorsglobal healthreproductive health
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Betregiorgis Zegeye
Ziad El-Khatib
Edward Kwabena Ameyaw
Abdul-Aziz Seidu
Bright Opoku Ahinkorah
Mpho Keetile
Sanni Yaya
spellingShingle Betregiorgis Zegeye
Ziad El-Khatib
Edward Kwabena Ameyaw
Abdul-Aziz Seidu
Bright Opoku Ahinkorah
Mpho Keetile
Sanni Yaya
Breaking Barriers to Healthcare Access: A Multilevel Analysis of Individual- and Community-Level Factors Affecting Women’s Access to Healthcare Services in Benin
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
access
healthcare services
barriers
risk factors
global health
reproductive health
author_facet Betregiorgis Zegeye
Ziad El-Khatib
Edward Kwabena Ameyaw
Abdul-Aziz Seidu
Bright Opoku Ahinkorah
Mpho Keetile
Sanni Yaya
author_sort Betregiorgis Zegeye
title Breaking Barriers to Healthcare Access: A Multilevel Analysis of Individual- and Community-Level Factors Affecting Women’s Access to Healthcare Services in Benin
title_short Breaking Barriers to Healthcare Access: A Multilevel Analysis of Individual- and Community-Level Factors Affecting Women’s Access to Healthcare Services in Benin
title_full Breaking Barriers to Healthcare Access: A Multilevel Analysis of Individual- and Community-Level Factors Affecting Women’s Access to Healthcare Services in Benin
title_fullStr Breaking Barriers to Healthcare Access: A Multilevel Analysis of Individual- and Community-Level Factors Affecting Women’s Access to Healthcare Services in Benin
title_full_unstemmed Breaking Barriers to Healthcare Access: A Multilevel Analysis of Individual- and Community-Level Factors Affecting Women’s Access to Healthcare Services in Benin
title_sort breaking barriers to healthcare access: a multilevel analysis of individual- and community-level factors affecting women’s access to healthcare services in benin
publisher MDPI AG
series International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
issn 1661-7827
1660-4601
publishDate 2021-01-01
description <i>Background:</i> In low-income countries such as Benin, most people have poor access to healthcare services. There is scarcity of evidence about barriers to accessing healthcare services in Benin. Therefore, we examined the magnitude of the problem of access to healthcare services and its associated factors. <i>Methods:</i> We utilized data from the 2017–2018 Benin Demographic and Health Survey (n = 15,928). We examined the associations between the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of women using multilevel logistic regression. The outcome variable for the study was problem of access to healthcare service. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated. <i>Results:</i> Overall, 60.4% of surveyed women had problems in accessing healthcare services. Partner’s education (AOR = 0.70; 95% CI; 0.55–0.89), economic status (AOR = 0.59; 95% CI; 0.47–0.73), marital status (AOR = 0.44; 95% CI; 0.39–0.51), and parity (AOR = 1.85; 95% CI; 1.45–2.35) were significant individual-level factors associated with problem of access to healthcare. Region (AOR = 5.24; 95% CI; 3.18–8.64) and community literacy level (AOR = 0.69; 95% CI; 0.51–0.94) were the main community-level risk factors. <i>Conclusions:</i> Enhancing husband education through adult education programs, economic empowerment of women, enhancing national education coverage, and providing priority for unmarried and multipara women need to be considered. Additionally, there is the need to ensure equity-based access to healthcare services across regions.
topic access
healthcare services
barriers
risk factors
global health
reproductive health
url https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/2/750
work_keys_str_mv AT betregiorgiszegeye breakingbarrierstohealthcareaccessamultilevelanalysisofindividualandcommunitylevelfactorsaffectingwomensaccesstohealthcareservicesinbenin
AT ziadelkhatib breakingbarrierstohealthcareaccessamultilevelanalysisofindividualandcommunitylevelfactorsaffectingwomensaccesstohealthcareservicesinbenin
AT edwardkwabenaameyaw breakingbarrierstohealthcareaccessamultilevelanalysisofindividualandcommunitylevelfactorsaffectingwomensaccesstohealthcareservicesinbenin
AT abdulazizseidu breakingbarrierstohealthcareaccessamultilevelanalysisofindividualandcommunitylevelfactorsaffectingwomensaccesstohealthcareservicesinbenin
AT brightopokuahinkorah breakingbarrierstohealthcareaccessamultilevelanalysisofindividualandcommunitylevelfactorsaffectingwomensaccesstohealthcareservicesinbenin
AT mphokeetile breakingbarrierstohealthcareaccessamultilevelanalysisofindividualandcommunitylevelfactorsaffectingwomensaccesstohealthcareservicesinbenin
AT sanniyaya breakingbarrierstohealthcareaccessamultilevelanalysisofindividualandcommunitylevelfactorsaffectingwomensaccesstohealthcareservicesinbenin
_version_ 1724333888055017472