ArticleBMJ open2022
Determinants of accessing healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa: a mixed-effect analysis of recent Demographic and Health Surveys from 36 countries.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 73 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
73 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 93 citations in OpenAlex.
- Facilitators and barriers to blood and blood product accessibility and use in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.Frontiers in health services · 2026Pooled it
- Hormonal contraception for women at risk of HIV infection.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- The Impact of Travel Distance on Cancer Stage at Diagnosis for Cancer: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Female genital schistosomiasis, human papilloma virus infection, and cervical cancer in rural Madagascar: a cross sectional study.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2023Trial
- Temporal trend analysis of the global prevalence of vision impairment and blindness attributable to diabetes from 1990 to 2021.Endocrine · 2026Article
- High Mortality in Adults With Community-Acquired Pneumonia Admitted to Hospitals in South Africa Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Stratified by HIV Serostatus and Viral Load: Data From a Prospective Cohort Study (2019-2021).Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Health Care Access Barriers Among Reproductive-Age Women in East Africa: Development and Validation of Machine Learning Prediction Models Using DHS Data.JMIR medical informatics · 2026Article
- A machine learning analysis of perceived healthcare access barriers among women of reproductive age in Sub-Saharan Africa: using demographic and health surveys.AJOG global reports · 2026Article
- Co-designing the 'Empower Community Health' programme: A capacity-building initiative to support community health workers' non-communicable disease health promotion in Ethiopia.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2026Article
- Early childhood and early adolescent predictors of internalising symptoms in adolescents: findings from a longitudinal study in a high-risk South African environment.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Multilevel modified Poisson regression analysis of barriers to healthcare access among pregnant women in high and very high maternal mortality sub-Saharan African countries: insights from demographic and health surveys data.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Article
- Prevalence and risk factors of home delivery among rural women: evidence from 28 African countries.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Women's empowerment and barriers to healthcare access in Burkina Faso: an ordinal logistic regression analysis of the 2021 DHS.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Article
- QT interval prolongation in patients receiving bedaquiline-based regimens for drug-resistant tuberculosis in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases · 2026Article
- Financial barriers to healthcare access among reproductive-age women in Sierra Leone: evidence from demographic health surveys of 2008, 2013, and 2019.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Article
- Extreme weather events and pathways to mental health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review.Climate risk management · 2026Article
- Social Determinants of Health and Effects on Cardiovascular Disease.The International journal of angiology : official publication of the International College of Angiology, Inc · 2026Review
13 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis study aimed to assess the determinants of accessing healthcare among reproductive-age women in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). DESIGN, SETTING AND ANALYSIS: Cross-sectional data were sourced from recent Demographic and Health Surveys in 36 SSA countries. We employed mixed-effect analysis to identify the determinants of accessing healthcare in SSA. OR and its 95% CI were reported for determinants associated with accessing healthcare. OUTCOME: The outcome for this study was whether accessing healthcare was a 'big problem' or 'not a big problem'. Responses to these questions were categorised as a big problem and not a big problem.
participantsA total weighted sample of 500 439 reproductive-age (15-49 years) women from each country's recent Demographic and Health Surveys from 2006 to 2018 were included in this study.
resultsThe pooled prevalence of healthcare access among reproductive-age women in SSA was 42.56% (95% CI 42.43% to 42.69%). The results of the mixed-effect analysis revealed that the determinants of accessing healthcare were urban residence (adjusted OR (AOR)=1.25, 95% CI 1.34 to 1.73), ability to read and write (AOR=1.15, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.28), primary education (AOR=1.08, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.12), secondary education and above (AOR=1.12, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.14), husband with primary education (AOR=1.06, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.1.12), husband with secondary education and above (AOR=1.22, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.27), middle wealth index (AOR=1.43, 95% CI 1.40 to 1.47), rich wealth index (AOR=2.19, 95% CI 2.13 to 2.24) and wanted pregnancy (AOR=1.27, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.29).
conclusionHealthcare access in SSA was found at 42.56%, which is very low even if Sustainable Development Goal 3.8 targeted universal health coverage for everyone so they can obtain the health services they need. The major determinants of healthcare access among reproductive-age women in SSA were urban residence, higher educational level, higher wealth index and wanted pregnancy. The findings of this study suggest and recommend strengthening and improving healthcare access for women who reside in the countryside, women with low level of education and women of low socioeconomic status.
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