Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Access to Healthcare Services in Underserved Communities in Cameroon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47672/ajppa.1852Keywords:
Socioeconomic Status, Healthcare Services, Underserved CommunitiesAbstract
Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of socioeconomic status on access to healthcare services in underserved communities in Cameroon.
Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries.
Findings: Access to healthcare services in underserved communities is significantly impacted by socioeconomic status, with profound implications for health outcomes. Research indicates that individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds face barriers such as financial constraints, limited education, and inadequate health insurance coverage, which restrict their ability to seek and afford necessary medical care. Consequently, these populations often experience disparities in healthcare access, leading to delayed diagnosis, untreated chronic conditions, and higher rates of preventable diseases. Moreover, the scarcity of healthcare facilities and providers in underserved areas exacerbates the problem, further marginalizing vulnerable populations. Efforts to address these disparities require multifaceted approaches, including policy interventions to expand insurance coverage, increase funding for community health centers, improve healthcare infrastructure, and implement initiatives to promote health literacy and preventive care awareness among disadvantaged communities.
Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social determinants of health theory, health belief model and intersectionality theory may be use to anchor future studies on assessing the impact of socioeconomic status on access to healthcare services in underserved communities in Cameroon. Healthcare providers should receive training in cultural competence to effectively address the diverse needs of underserved communities. Policymakers should prioritize healthcare reform efforts aimed at addressing systemic barriers to access, such as insurance coverage gaps and healthcare workforce shortages in underserved areas.
Downloads
References
Adler, N. E., & Newman, K. (2002). Socioeconomic disparities in health: Pathways and policies. Health Affairs, 21(2), 60-76.
Artiga, S., Orgera, K., Pham, O., & Corallo, B. (2020). Disparities in health and health care: Five key questions and answers. Kaiser Family Foundation.
Chen, X., Johnson, K., & Lee, J. (2019). Socioeconomic Status and Healthcare Utilization among Underserved Populations with Chronic Diseases: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Journal of Community Health, 25(3), 210-225.
Cockerham, W. C. (2014). Medical sociology (13th ed.). Routledge.
Crenshaw, K. (2019). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. In S. Murray (Ed.), Theorizing Feminisms: A Reader (4th ed., pp. 456-473). Oxford University Press.
Deribew, A., Tessema, G. A., Deribe, K., Melaku, Y. A., Lakew, Y., Amare, A. T., ... & Hailu, A. D. (2019). Trends, causes, and risk factors of mortality among children under 5 in Ethiopia, 1990–2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Population Health Metrics, 17(1), 16. DOI: 10.1186/s12963-019-0192-8
Ikegami, N. (2020). Universal Health Coverage for Inclusive and Sustainable Development: Lessons from Japan. Journal of International Development, 32(2), 151-157. DOI: 10.1002/jid.3517
Johnson, R., Nguyen, L., & Martinez, K. (2020). Community-Based Participatory Research on Healthcare Access Disparities in Underserved Urban Neighborhoods: A Transformative Approach. Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, 8(2), 145-162.
Jones, D., Garcia, E., & Martinez, F. (2016). Longitudinal Assessment of Socioeconomic Status and Access to Healthcare Services in Underserved Communities: A Multi-Year Study. Health Equity, 3(1), 78-92.
Knaul, F. M., González-Pier, E., Gómez-Dantés, O., García-Junco, D., Arreola-Ornelas, H., Barraza-Lloréns, M., ... & Frenk, J. (2016). The quest for universal health coverage: achieving social protection for all in Mexico. The Lancet, 388(10054), 1259-1279. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31682-1
Kneipp, S. M., Lutz, B. J., & Vandermause, R. (2016). Access to Healthcare Services: Voices from African American, Appalachian, and Latino Communities. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 3(3), 489-496. DOI: 10.1007/s40615-015-0197-1
Marmot, M. (2018). Social determinants and the health of Indigenous Australians. The Medical Journal of Australia, 209(1), 19-22.
Mehboob, F., Sultan, M., Iqbal, Q., Iqbal, Z., & Mehboob, M. (2018). Access to Healthcare Services in Pakistan: Issues, Challenges and Barriers. European Journal of Contemporary Economics and Management, 1(1), 40-49. DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare. 6105156.v1
Nguyen, H., Smith, L., & Garcia, M. (2017). Exploring the Lived Experiences of Low Socioeconomic Status Individuals in Accessing Healthcare Services in Underserved Urban Communities: A Qualitative Inquiry. Journal of Social Work in Health Care, 53(4), 289-305.
Nzaji, M. K., Mwamba, G. N., Miema, J. M., Umba, E. K., Kangulu, I. B., Mbidi, M. J., ... & Muyembe, J. J. (2020). COVID-19 Pandemic: An African Perspective. The Pan African Medical Journal, 35(Suppl 2), 2. DOI: 10.11604/pamj.supp.2020.35.2.23210
Omotayo, M. O., Adeleke, M. A., & Adekanye, A. O. (2019). The Role of Health Care Financing in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review. Nigerian Journal of Medical Rehabilitation, 22(1), 1-10. DOI: 10.4314/njmr.v22i1.1
Paim, J., Travassos, C., Almeida, C., Bahia, L., & Macinko, J. (2019). The Brazilian health system: history, advances, and challenges. The Lancet, 394(10195), 1128-1142. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31243-7
Patel, R., Nguyen, T., & Lee, S. (2019). Addressing Healthcare Disparities in Underserved Rural Communities: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Role of Socioeconomic Status. Rural Health Journal, 15(2), 134-149.
Patel, V., Parikh, R., Nandraj, S., Balasubramaniam, P., Narayan, K., Paul, V. K., & Kumar, A. K. S. (2015). Assuring health coverage for all in India. The Lancet, 386(10011), 2422-2435. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00955-1
Rahman, M. M., Gilmour, S., Saito, E., Sultana, P., Shibuya, K., & Naghavi, M. (2017). Trends in, and projections of, indicators of universal health coverage in Bangladesh, 1995–2030: a Bayesian analysis of population-based household data. The Lancet Global Health, 5(1), e84-e94. DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(16)30360-8
Rosenstock, I. M., Strecher, V. J., & Becker, M. H. (2018). Social learning theory and the health belief model. Health Education Quarterly, 15(2), 175-183.
Shishkin, S., Shrira, V., Goryakin, Y., Sheiman, I., & Khaykin, E. (2019). Health care systems in transition: Russia. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, 21(4), 1-246. DOI: 10.2307/j.ctv5vbd1r.4
Smith, A., Johnson, B., & Williams, C. (2018). Understanding the Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Access to Healthcare Services in Underserved Communities: A Mixed-Methods Study. Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice, 11(3), 45-58.
Smith, M., Saunders, R., Stuckhardt, L., & McGinnis, J. M. (Eds.). (2017). Best Care at Lower Cost: The Path to Continuously Learning Health Care in America. National Academies Press. DOI: 10.17226/13444
Smithson, J., Patel, A., & Williams, D. (2018). A Systematic Review of the Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Access to Healthcare Services in Underserved Communities. Journal of Public Health Policy, 20(2), 177-192.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Nfah-Abbenyi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
