Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38680189›Full record

ArticleHealth policy OPEN2024

Does health insurance status influence healthcare-seeking behavior in rural communities? evidence from rural Ghana.

Emmanuel Kumah, Yussif Asana, Samuel Kofi Agyei, Collins Kokuro, Samuel E Ankomah, Adam Fusheini

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Health policy OPEN, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Emmanuel KumahDepartment of Health Administration and Education, Faculty of Science Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.
Yussif AsanaDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Catholic University, Ghana.
Samuel Kofi AgyeiDepartment of Public Health, Presbyterrian University, Ghana, Asante Akyem Campus, Agogo, Ghana.
Collins KokuroDepartment of Medicine, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Samuel E AnkomahObstetrics and Gynecology Directorate, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
Adam FusheiniDepartment of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: National health insurance programs are considered important mechanisms for ensuring equity in access to and utilization of healthcare services by removing financial barriers associated with seeking treatment in healthcare facilities. Although studies on health insurance schemes in many low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) have demonstrated a significant relationship between health insurance status and healthcare-seeking behavior, data on the influence of this health financing policy on the decision to seek formal healthcare among rural inhabitants remains limited. Underpinned by the Andersen-Newman behavioral model of healthcare use, this study examined the influence of health insurance status on healthcare-seeking behavior among rural dwellers in Ghana. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 460 rural residents in Ghana from 8th September to 5th December 2022 Results: The mean age of the respondents was 29.6 ± 6.8 years. A little above half (53.1 %) disclosed having insurance, whereas 46.1 % stated they were without coverage. Regarding healthcare-seeking behavior, the most commonly chosen treatment source was traditional healers (37.2 %), followed by the public healthcare system (28.3 %) and self-treatment (18.2 %). The private healthcare system was the least preferred, with only 16.3 % opting for it. While the bivariate analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between health insurance status and healthcare-seeking behavior (p-0.001), the logistic regression model results showed that health insurance status was not an independent predictor of healthcare-seeking behavior (p = 0.069). Conclusion: It could, therefore, not be concluded that the respondents with health insurance coverage were more likely than the uninsured to use formal healthcare providers as their most frequent source of treatment during illness. This study provides vital information for policymakers aiming at increasing access to and utilization of facility-based formal care in rural and remote settings.

Indexed as

GhanaHealthcare-seeking behaviorHealthcare utilizationHealth insuranceRural communities

Identifiers

PMID38680189
PMCPMC11047188

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.