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Title Bypassing health facilities in rural Mozambique: spatial, institutional, and individual determinants.
Full text https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4s36h1g4
Date 2018
Author(s) Yao, Jing; Agadjanian, Victor
Abstract BackgroundAccess to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services is critical for such outcomes as pregnancy and birth, prenatal and neonatal mortality, maternal morbidity and mortality, and prevention of vertical transmission of infections like HIV. Health facilities are typically set up where they can efficiently serve the nearby targeted population. However, the actual utilization of health care can be complicated as people sometimes bypass the closest or nearby facilities for various reasons such as service quality. A better understanding of how people actually utilize health services can benefit future health resource allocation as well as health program planning.MethodsIn this study, we use prenatal care as an example of a basic, widely available service to investigate women's choice and bypassing of SRH facilities as well as potential influencing factors at the geographic, clinic, household, and individual levels. The data come from a population-based survey of women of reproductive age in rural Mozambique. The spatial pattern of utilization of health clinics for prenatal care is explored by geographical information system (GIS)-based spatial analysis. Logistic regression is fitted to test the hypotheses regarding the effect of distance, service quality, and household/individual-level factors on the bypassing of the nearest clinic.ResultsThe results indicate that most women living near clinics tend to utilize the closest facilities for prenatal care and those who travel farther mainly do so to seek better services. Further, for women who live far from a clinic (> 5.5 km), service quality still plays an important role in the facility bypassing while the effect of distance is no longer significant. The bypassing of nearest facility is also affected by individual characteristics such as age, HIV status, and household economic conditions.ConclusionsThe findings help to better understand health facility choice and bypassing in developing settings, in general, and in resource-limited Sub-Saharan settings, in particular. They offer valuable guidance for future health resource allocation and health service planning.
Subject(s) Humans; Prenatal Care; Health Care Surveys; Pregnancy; Adolescent; Adult; Rural Population; Health Facilities; Maternal Health Services; Health Services Accessibility; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Mozambique; Female; Young Adult; Spatial Analysis; GIS; Healthcare utilization; Hospital bypass; Rural Health; Behavioral and Social Science; Prevention; Perinatal Period - Conditions Originating in Perinatal Period; Health Services; Pediatric; Clinical Research; Management of diseases and conditions; 2.4 Surveillance and distribution; 7.1 Individual care needs; Aetiology; Reproductive health and childbirth; Good Health and Well Being; Library and Information Studies; Nursing; Public Health and Health Services; Health Policy & Services
Coverage 1006
Publisher eScholarship, University of California
Type of publication article
Format application/pdf
Source BMC health services research, vol 18, iss 1
Rights public
Identifier qt4s36h1g4
Repository Berkeley - University of California
Added to C-A: 2023-02-09;07:34:53