Award Date

12-1-2014

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Health Administration (MHA)

Department

Health Care Administration and Policy

First Committee Member

Christopher Cochran

Second Committee Member

Jay J. Shen

Third Committee Member

Olena Mazurenko

Fourth Committee Member

Daniel Young

Number of Pages

49

Abstract

The study examines the relationship between socio-economic and cultural determinants of health care service utilization in Ghana using Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) 2008 data collected by Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in which a two-stage sample design was used. The first stage involved a systematic sampling, with probability proportional to size, of 412 clusters using the 2000 Ghana Population and Housing Census as the sampling frame. At the second stage, systematic samples of 30 households from each cluster were selected, making a total of 12,360 sampled households. According to the GSS, data were not collected in some of the selected households due to security reasons, resulting in a final sample of 12,323 selected households. This study uses the individual dataset in which data on individual household members between the ages of 15 and 49 are compiled. These filters result in a sample of 4,913 individuals who reported sick as the sample for this study. The older people are known to be the usual utilizers of health care services; therefore the study concentrates on younger group...

Binary logistic regression model was used with healthcare utilization as the dependent variable. Health care service utilization was measured as a binary variable among those who fell sick in the past three months. The socio-economic and cultural factors that determine health care service utilization were identified based on Andersen (1968). The results indicated that age, sex, social status, marital status, education, ethnicity, religion, and family size, employment, and type of occupation were statistically significant in determining health care service utilization in Ghana. Based on these findings, there is the need for creation of more job opportunities to address the unemployment problem in Ghana. This will improve people's social status and there improve their health care utilization. Also the labor law of Ghana should make provision for employees to be able to utilize health care services when they get sick since those working are less likely to utilize health care services

Keywords

Ghana; Medical care; National health services; Social status – Health aspects

Disciplines

Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Health and Medical Administration | Medicine and Health Sciences | Public Health

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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