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

Author

Listed:
  • Betregiorgis Zegeye

    (HaSET Maternal and Child Health Research Program, Shewarobit Field Office, Shewarobit P.O. Box 127, Ethiopia
    Correspondence: Co-first author.)

  • Ziad El-Khatib

    (Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
    Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
    World Health Programme, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT), Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9L 2K1, Canada
    Correspondence: Co-first author.)

  • Edward Kwabena Ameyaw

    (School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia)

  • Abdul-Aziz Seidu

    (Department of Population and Health, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, PMB 0494, Ghana
    College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia)

  • Bright Opoku Ahinkorah

    (School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia)

  • Mpho Keetile

    (Department of Population Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB 0022, Gaborone, Botswana)

  • Sanni Yaya

    (School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
    The George Institute for Global Health, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK)

Abstract

Background: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusions: 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.

Suggested Citation

  • Betregiorgis Zegeye & Ziad El-Khatib & Edward Kwabena Ameyaw & Abdul-Aziz Seidu & Bright Opoku Ahinkorah & Mpho Keetile & Sanni Yaya, 2021. "Breaking Barriers to Healthcare Access: A Multilevel Analysis of Individual- and Community-Level Factors Affecting Women’s Access to Healthcare Services in Benin," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:2:p:750-:d:481777
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