The influence of gender and household headship on voluntary health insurance
The case of North-West Cameroon
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11491900 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tessa Oraro (0000-0001-9701-8888, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, corresponding author), Nestor Ngube (University of Bamenda), George Yuh Atohmbom (University of Bamenda), Siddharth Srivastava (0000-0001-7550-0358, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute), Kaspar Wy (0000-0003-0156-5989, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute), Kaspar Wyss |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 163-170 |
| Publication date | 2018-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Health Policy and Planning (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0268-1080 • E-ISSN: 1460-2237 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/heapol/czx152 |
| PMID | 29145600 |
| OpenAlex | W2770518721 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 25 |
Within the existing health financing literature, males are typically categorized as the household's decision-makers. While this view accurately reflects many local sociocultural realities, approximately a quarter of sub-Saharan African households are now headed by females. In light of various efforts to expand health insurance coverage in the region, it is necessary to examine whether the factors influencing voluntary health insurance enrolment are analogous across male- and female-headed households. This study sought to identify the gendered determinants of voluntary enrolment into a church-run micro health insurance scheme. A cross-sectional survey of 550 households was carried out in Bui and Donga-Mantung Divisions of North-West Cameroon in May 2016. A structured questionnaire was administered on health insurance membership, household attributes, headship characteristics and health-seeking behaviour. We assessed the influence of gender on the associations between health insurance enrolment and the explanatory variables using logistic regression. This study found that voluntary health insurance demand was influenced by involvement in social networks regardless of gender. However, in line with entrenched household roles, men's understanding of potential household health risks ultimately facilitated their enrolment decisions, while economically empowered women prioritised their direct knowledge of household health risks. Men's demand for health insurance was correlated primarily with their education level (OR = 2.238 [CI 1.228-2.552]), as well as with their socioeconomic status (OR = 2.207 [CI 1.173-4.153]), age (OR = 2.238 [CI 1.151-4.352]) and trust of the insurance provider (OR = 4.770 [CI 2.407-9.453]). Conversely, women's enrolment decision was primarily associated with their income levels (OR = 5.842 [CI 1.589-21.484]), as well as by the presence of children (OR = 3.734 [CI 1.228-11.348]). The influence of wealth on health insurance enrolment highlights the need for policymakers to subsidize health insurance schemes for vulnerable population groups. Further, it is imperative to develop sensitization campaigns that are simple and digestible to facilitate understanding of health insurance across all target groups.
Business · Demographic economics · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental health · Geography · Health care · Health insurance · Logistic regression · Population · Quarter (Canadian coin) · Social determinants of health · Socioeconomic status · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Turnover · Demography · Global Health Care Issues · Global Maternal and Child Health · Healthcare Systems and Reforms · Medicine
Association between women’s household decision-making autonomy and health insurance enrollment in sub-saharan Africa
Study on the Dynamic Relationship between Chinese Residents’ Individual Characteristics and Commercial Health Insurance Demand
A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study of the Prevalence and Determinants of Health Insurance Coverage in Nigeria and South Africa
Covid-19 pandemic and human security in Ghana
Willingness to pay for National Health Insurance Services and Associated Factors in Africa and Asia
Healthcare Financing in Rural Cameroon
Are children in female-headed households at a disadvantage? An analysis of immunization coverage and stunting prevalence
Financing for equity for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health in low- and middle-income countries
Who will drop out of voluntary social health insurance? Evidence from the New Cooperative Medical Scheme in China
Simple sample size calculation for cluster-randomized trials
Coping with out-of-pocket health payments
Moving towards universal health coverage
Why should the poor insure? Theories of decision-making in the context of health insurance
Determinants of health insurance ownership among women in Kenya
Understanding careseeking for child illness in sub-Saharan Africa
Enrollment in Ethiopia’s Community-Based Health Insurance Scheme
Household perceptions and their implications for enrolment in the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana
The impact of stakeholder values and power relations on community-based health insurance coverage
Do community-based health insurance schemes fulfil the promise of equity? A study from Burkina Faso
The National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana's Upper West Region
Going beyond the surface
Equity aspects of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana
To enrol or not to enrol
| Unique citing works | 9 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,29 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2024 (6) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 9 |