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INTRODUCTION

Cessation of care for financial reasons is an indicator of the affordability of care.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this work was to identify the determinants of the renunciation of care for financial reasons among women in a peri-urban area of Abidjan.

METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted from March to May 2019 among women aged 18 years and over in Anonkoi 3 in the north of Abidjan. The socio-demographic, economic, health status and health care abandonment characteristics were collected using a questionnaire. The associations between the renunciation of care for financial reasons and women’s characteristics were measured using logistic regression models with a 5% risk.

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 423 women with a median age of 28 ± 11 years. Only 30% of them had health insurance. The rate of financial reasons for discontinuing care was 59.1%. This renunciation was more pronounced for the purchase of drugs, biological examinations, dental care, and surgical procedures. The number of dependent (P = 0.035), young age (P ≤ 0.035), low level of education (P = 0.024), low level of income (P ≤ 0.004) and the absence of an associative life (P = 0.004) and perceived poor health (P = 0.021) were identified as determinants of the renunciation of care for financial reasons.

CONCLUSION

Empowerment, literacy, health education for women and adherence to universal health coverage should help to remove the financial barrier to women’s access to care.