Dataset Information

Do education and living standard matter in breaking barriers to healthcare access among women in Bangladesh?

ABSTRACT:

Background

Barriers to healthcare access for women have a substantial influence on maternal and child health. By removing barriers to accessing healthcare, several sustainable development goals can be achieved. The goal of this study, based on the dominance analysis, was to examine how living standards and spousal education play role in removing barriers to healthcare access for women in Bangladesh.

Methods

The study used the nationally representative Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), 2017-18 data. A binary logistic regression model was applied for analyzing different types of health access barriers in the study. Additionally, a dominance analysis was conducted to identify the most responsible factors for removing barriers.

Results

In Bangladesh, 66% of women faced at least one barrier in accessing healthcare. The results obtained from logistic regression and dominance analysis revealed that women's standard of living and spousal education explained the highest variation of having at least one barrier in accessing healthcare. Specifically, a high standard of living explained 24% of the total explained variation (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.52-0.62), while both spousal education accounted for 27% (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.45-0.54) of the total explained variation. The regression results also showed that women with higher standards of living as well as educated women having educated partners had lower odds of facing barriers in getting permission (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.76-1.00 and OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.58-0.75) to go for advice/treatment, obtaining money (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.39-0.47 and OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.34-0.40), distance to a health facility (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.55-0.66 and OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.65-0.76), and not wanting to go alone (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.66-0.89 and OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.69-0.81) for getting medical advice/treatment.

Conclusion

The findings of the study suggest paying extra attention to the spousal education and living standard of women to strengthen and reform the existing strategies and develop beneficial interventions to enhance unhindered accessibility to healthcare facilities for women.

SUBMITTER: Sen KK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10373322 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Do education and living standard matter in breaking barriers to healthcare access among women in Bangladesh?

Sen Kanchan Kumar KK Nilima Shahnaz S Zahura Fatima-Tuz FT Bari Wasimul W

BMC public health 20230726 1

<h4>Background</h4>Barriers to healthcare access for women have a substantial influence on maternal and child health. By removing barriers to accessing healthcare, several sustainable development goals can be achieved. The goal of this study, based on the dominance analysis, was to examine how living standards and spousal education play role in removing barriers to healthcare access for women in Bangladesh.<h4>Methods</h4>The study used the nationally representative Bangladesh Demographic and He ...[more]

PMID: 37495959

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Project description:BackgroundGlobally, women experience healthcare inequalities, which may contribute to excessive mortality rates at various stages of their lives. Though Bangladesh has achieved excellent progress in providing healthcare, the country still has some critical challenges that need immediate attention. The objective of this study is to examine the association between social determinants and barriers to accessing healthcare among ever-married women aged 15-49 in Bangladesh.MethodsThe study was conducted among 20,127 women aged 15-49, using data from the 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. Four barriers to healthcare were considered: whether women face problems with permission, obtaining money, distance, and companionship. The multivariable logistic regression analysis was used, with a broad array of independent variables (such as age, and educational level) to identify the determinants of barriers to healthcare access. The associations were expressed as adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).ResultsMore than two-thirds (66.3%) of women reported having at least one perceived barrier to accessing healthcare. Women with a higher level of education (AOR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.41-0.57), owning a mobile telephone (AOR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.73-0.84), and those in the richest wealth quintile (AOR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.38-0.52) had lower odds of having barriers to accessing healthcare. In addition, widowed (AOR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.26-1.84), divorced (AOR = 1.91, 95% CI:1.47-2.48), or separated (AOR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.46-2.69) women had higher odds of having a money barrier to accessing healthcare, than married women.ConclusionsThis study shows that individual-, household-, and community-level factors are associated with barriers to healthcare accessibility. To improve the state of women's health in Bangladesh, it is vital to consider these socio-economic factors and implement fundamental measures, such as supporting the national health policy, empowering women's socio-economic situation, and spreading the flexible way of healthcare access.

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Dataset Information

Do education and living standard matter in breaking barriers to healthcare access among women in Bangladesh?

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Do education and living standard matter in breaking barriers to healthcare access among women in Bangladesh?

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