Older adults' experiences of health seeking in rural areas in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of qualitative studies.

ABSTRACT: The global aged population is expected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050 and ∼40% of them will live in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This systematic review aims to synthesize the qualitative literature on rural older adults' experiences of health-seeking in LMICs as well as explore the factors that influence their experiences during their health-seeking journeys. We searched Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL to identify studies published from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2024 (PROSPERO registration ID: Blinded For Review). We used a thematic synthesis approach to analyse included studies. Among the 19 studies with 28 articles and 484 participants included, 16 were rated as high quality, 9 as moderate quality, and 3 as weak quality. We identified four primary anal

SUBMITTER: Wang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12906757 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature