Factors associated with barriers to healthcare access among ever-married women of reproductive age in Bangladesh: Analysis from the 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey.
<h4>Background</h4>Globally, 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 i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2024-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0289324&type=printable |
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| author | Hitomi Hinata Kaung Suu Lwin Akifumi Eguchi Cyrus Ghaznavi Masahiro Hashizume Shuhei Nomura |
| author_facet | Hitomi Hinata Kaung Suu Lwin Akifumi Eguchi Cyrus Ghaznavi Masahiro Hashizume Shuhei Nomura |
| author_sort | Hitomi Hinata |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Globally, 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.<h4>Methods</h4>The 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).<h4>Results</h4>More 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.<h4>Conclusions</h4>This 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T15:51:10Z |
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| id | doaj.art-d36f621a60264a32af50547585630486 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T15:51:10Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
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| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-d36f621a60264a32af505475856304862024-01-09T05:30:57ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-01191e028932410.1371/journal.pone.0289324Factors associated with barriers to healthcare access among ever-married women of reproductive age in Bangladesh: Analysis from the 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey.Hitomi HinataKaung Suu LwinAkifumi EguchiCyrus GhaznaviMasahiro HashizumeShuhei Nomura<h4>Background</h4>Globally, 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.<h4>Methods</h4>The 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).<h4>Results</h4>More 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.<h4>Conclusions</h4>This 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.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0289324&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Hitomi Hinata Kaung Suu Lwin Akifumi Eguchi Cyrus Ghaznavi Masahiro Hashizume Shuhei Nomura Factors associated with barriers to healthcare access among ever-married women of reproductive age in Bangladesh: Analysis from the 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. PLoS ONE |
| title | Factors associated with barriers to healthcare access among ever-married women of reproductive age in Bangladesh: Analysis from the 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. |
| title_full | Factors associated with barriers to healthcare access among ever-married women of reproductive age in Bangladesh: Analysis from the 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. |
| title_fullStr | Factors associated with barriers to healthcare access among ever-married women of reproductive age in Bangladesh: Analysis from the 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Factors associated with barriers to healthcare access among ever-married women of reproductive age in Bangladesh: Analysis from the 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. |
| title_short | Factors associated with barriers to healthcare access among ever-married women of reproductive age in Bangladesh: Analysis from the 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. |
| title_sort | factors associated with barriers to healthcare access among ever married women of reproductive age in bangladesh analysis from the 2017 2018 bangladesh demographic and health survey |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0289324&type=printable |
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