Introduction

Social protection programmes such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme are meant to improve access to services including formal healthcare and enhance quality of life of beneficiaries. However, beneficiaries are still faced with various barriers to services such as formal healthcare.

Objective

In this study, with the aid of socio-economic and demographic factors, we predict the likelihood of transportation barriers to formal healthcare utilisation among poor older people under the LEAP programme in Ghana.

Results

The study finds that females are significantly more likely to encounter transportation barriers to formal healthcare utilisation compared with their male counterparts (AOR = 2.22; C1 = 0.869–5.673; P = 0.006). Also, we find that respondents aged 85 years or above are significantly more likely to encounter transportation barriers to formal healthcare utilisation than the other age groups (AOR = 1.66; C1 = 0.860–3.710; P = 0.003). Furthermore, we reveal that participants who receive a monthly income of GHS 201 or more are significantly less likely to encounter transportation barriers to formal healthcare utilisation (AOR = 0.784; CI = 0.313–1.962; P = 0.003).

Implications and conclusion

The results suggest that gender-based development programmes (education and skills training) at the early stages of life would be needed to ensure economic empowerment, adequate preparation towards old age, and reduce transportation barriers to formal healthcare utilisation among poor older people especially the females. Based on the findings, we conclude that a genuine commitment on the part of social programme implementers to improve cash transfer amounts and ensure regular transfers is likely to lessen transportation barriers among the poor older people in formal healthcare utilisation.

中文翻译：

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根据加纳一项社会保护计划，贫困老年人中正规医疗保健利用的运输障碍及相关因素

介绍

社会保护计划，例如增强民生能力（LEAP）计划，旨在改善获得正规医疗保健服务的机会，并提高受益者的生活质量。但是，受益人仍面临各种服务障碍，例如正规医疗保健。

目的

在这项研究中，借助社会经济和人口因素，我们根据加纳的LEAP计划预测了贫困老年人中正规医疗保健利用运输障碍的可能性。

结果

研究发现，与男性相比，女性在正式医疗保健利用上遇到交通障碍的可能性更大（AOR = 2.22； C1 = 0.869–5.673；P  = 0.006）。此外，我们发现，与其他年龄组相比，年龄在85岁或以上的受访者更有可能遇到阻碍正式医疗保健使用的交通障碍（AOR = 1.66； C1 = 0.860–3.710；P  = 0.003）。此外，我们发现，每月获得GHS 201或更高收入的参与者遇到正式医疗保健利用的交通障碍的可能性大大降低（AOR = 0.784； CI = 0.313–1.962；P  = 0.003）。

含义和结论

结果表明，在生命的早期阶段需要基于性别的发展计划（教育和技能培训），以确保增强经济能力，为老年做充分的准备，并减少贫困老年人尤其是女性在正式医疗保健方面的运输障碍。根据调查结果，我们得出结论，社会计划实施者对提高现金转移额并确保定期转移的真正承诺可能会减轻正规医疗保健利用中的贫困老年人之间的运输障碍。