| Physical violence, obstacles to accessing healthcare, and insurance coverage of Egyptian currently-married women |
| Authors: |
Mustafa Afifi |
| Source: |
Annals of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, 2010;3:2-7 |
| Topic(s): |
Domestic violence
Health care utilization
Women's health
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| Country: |
Africa
Egypt
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| Published: |
DEC 2010 |
| Abstract: |
Abstract
Objectives : To study the association between women's exposure to marital physical violence with self-reported obstacles to use health facilities, and coverage by medical insurance. Material and Methods : This study was conducted on the 2005 Egypt Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) data. A subsample of 5249 currently-married women were investigated for both ever and the 12 months prior to survey exposure to physical violence by their current husbands, and its association with self-reported obstacles to use health facilities and coverage by medical insurance, adjusting for respondents' age, education, work, residence, wealth index, number of children ever borne, and empowerment in household decisions. Results: A total of 57% and 56% of women reported lack of healthcare provider and lack of drugs as obstacles to use medical care, respectively. Only 14% were covered by medical insurance. Around 29.4% of the studied women had been ever exposed to physical violence by their current husbands; of them 60% had been subjected to it in the 12 months prior to the survey. Logistic regression models showed that exposure to physical violence predicted reporting of the aforementioned two obstacles. Physically abused women were significantly less likely to be covered by medical insurance. Only a small proportion of women: those working, of higher education, higher wealth index or older age cohorts were medically insured. Conclusion: Extending the umbrella of medical insurance along with finding remedies to the existing obstacles of medical care in Egypt would play a significant role in both health sector reform and management of violence against women. |
| Web: |
http://www.atmph.org/article.asp?issn=1755-6783;year=2010;volume=3;issue=1;spage=2;epage=7;aulast=Afifi |
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