Association between the Survey-based Women's Empowerment (SWPER) index and barriers to healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Women's health is an essential component of the Sustainable Development Goals. We examined how women's empowerment influences barriers to healthcare access in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods

The study included a weighted sample of 188 572 women's data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of 21 countries. A multilevel binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between women's empowerment and barriers to accessing healthcare.

Results

Women in the medium and high categories of attitude towards violence, social independence and autonomy were less likely to experience problems in getting permission to go for treatment. Women who had high attitudes towards violence were less likely to experience problems in getting money for treatment.

SUBMITTER: Aboagye RG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12406787 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature