Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41272487›Full record

ArticleBMC geriatrics2025

Factors influencing health service utilisation among older adults in the Tamale metropolis: a cross-sectional study based on Andersen's behavioural model.

Okpawura Yaw Wisdom Kpolar, Priscilla Yeye Adumoah Attafuah, Eric Tornu, Vivian Efua Senoo-Dogbey, Daniel Kojo Arhinful

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in BMC geriatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

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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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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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

5 authors.

Okpawura Yaw Wisdom KpolarPublic Health Nursing Department, School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Priscilla Yeye Adumoah AttafuahPublic Health Nursing Department, School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana. pyaattafuah@ug.edu.gh.
Eric TornuAdult Health Nursing Department, School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Vivian Efua Senoo-DogbeyPublic Health Nursing Department, School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Daniel Kojo ArhinfulPublic Health Nursing Department, School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOlder adults represent only about 6% of Ghana’s total population, yet they account for over 80% of those who access healthcare annually. Despite this high utilisation, many older adults continue to face substantial barriers to care, including financial, structural, and health system challenges. This study applied Andersen’s Behavioural Model to examine how predisposing, enabling, and need factors are associated with health service utilisation among older adults in Northern Ghana.

methodsA community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and March 2024 among 339 adults aged 60 years and above, selected from four communities using a multistage sampling approach. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Health service utilisation was operationalised as at least one visit to a health facility in the 12 months preceding the study. Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and hierarchical binary logistic regression were used to analyse the data.

resultsThe average age of the respondents was 68.7 years, with most being female (61.7%) and having no formal education (62.2%). A majority (94.4%) were enrolled in the National Health Insurance Scheme, and 72.9% reported at least one chronic condition. Overall, 83.8% of the participants reported using health services at least once in the past year. Predisposing factors (age and sex), enabling factors (employment status, health insurance status, and distance to the nearest health facility), and need factors (presence of chronic conditions) were significantly associated with utilization. The major health service utilisation factors were having a chronic condition (OR = 11.2, 95% CI [4.7, 26.6]), having health insurance (OR = 8.3, 95% CI [1.8, 39.0]), living more than 4 km from a facility (OR = 0.10, 95% CI [0.02, 0.38]), and being self-employed (OR = 0.07, 95% CI [0.01, 0.65]).

conclusionsHealth service utilisation among older adults in Tamale was associated with a combination of predisposing, enabling, and need factors. While insurance coverage was high and contributed to health service utilisation, self-employment and living more than 4 km from a facility were major barriers. Community-based outreach, including mobile health clinics or targeted home-based care, may be a cost-effective approach to improving older adults’ access to and utilisation of health services.

Indexed as

Health Services AccessibilityPatient Acceptance of Health CareAgedAged, 80 and overCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleGhanaHumansMaleMiddle AgedAgeing adults in ghanaAndersen modelHealthcare accessHealthcare utilisationNorthern ghanaOlder personsTamale metropolis

Identifiers

PMID41272487
PMCPMC12639767

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.