Health insurance and child mortality in rural Burkina Faso
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Health insurance and child mortality in rural Burkina Faso. / Schoeps, Anja; Lietz, Henrike; Sié, Ali; Savadogo, Germain; De Allegri, Manuela; Müller, Olaf; Sauerborn, Rainer; Becher, Heiko; Souares, Aurélia.
In: GLOBAL HEALTH ACTION, Vol. 8, 2015, p. 27327.Research output: SCORING: Contribution to journal › SCORING: Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Health insurance and child mortality in rural Burkina Faso
AU - Schoeps, Anja
AU - Lietz, Henrike
AU - Sié, Ali
AU - Savadogo, Germain
AU - De Allegri, Manuela
AU - Müller, Olaf
AU - Sauerborn, Rainer
AU - Becher, Heiko
AU - Souares, Aurélia
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - BACKGROUND: Micro health insurance schemes have been implemented across developing countries as a means of facilitating access to modern medical care, with the ultimate aim of improving health. This effect, however, has not been explored sufficiently.OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of enrolment into community-based health insurance on mortality in children under 5 years of age in a health and demographic surveillance system in Nouna, Burkina Faso.DESIGN: We analysed the effect of health insurance enrolment on child mortality with a Cox regression model. We adjusted for variables that we found to be related to the enrolment in health insurance in a preceding analysis.RESULTS: Based on the analysis of 33,500 children, the risk of mortality was 46% lower in children enrolled in health insurance as compared to the non-enrolled children (HR=0.54, 95% CI 0.43-0.68) after adjustment for possible confounders. We identified socioeconomic status, father's education, distance to the health facility, year of birth, and insurance status of the mother at time of birth as the major determinants of health insurance enrolment.CONCLUSIONS: The strong effect of health insurance enrolment on child mortality may be explained by increased utilisation of health services by enrolled children; however, other non-observed factors cannot be excluded. Because malaria is a main cause of death in the study area, early consultation of health services in case of infection could prevent many deaths. Concerning the magnitude of the effect, implementation of health insurance could be a major driving factor of reduction in child mortality in the developing world.
AB - BACKGROUND: Micro health insurance schemes have been implemented across developing countries as a means of facilitating access to modern medical care, with the ultimate aim of improving health. This effect, however, has not been explored sufficiently.OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of enrolment into community-based health insurance on mortality in children under 5 years of age in a health and demographic surveillance system in Nouna, Burkina Faso.DESIGN: We analysed the effect of health insurance enrolment on child mortality with a Cox regression model. We adjusted for variables that we found to be related to the enrolment in health insurance in a preceding analysis.RESULTS: Based on the analysis of 33,500 children, the risk of mortality was 46% lower in children enrolled in health insurance as compared to the non-enrolled children (HR=0.54, 95% CI 0.43-0.68) after adjustment for possible confounders. We identified socioeconomic status, father's education, distance to the health facility, year of birth, and insurance status of the mother at time of birth as the major determinants of health insurance enrolment.CONCLUSIONS: The strong effect of health insurance enrolment on child mortality may be explained by increased utilisation of health services by enrolled children; however, other non-observed factors cannot be excluded. Because malaria is a main cause of death in the study area, early consultation of health services in case of infection could prevent many deaths. Concerning the magnitude of the effect, implementation of health insurance could be a major driving factor of reduction in child mortality in the developing world.
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 25925193
VL - 8
SP - 27327
JO - GLOBAL HEALTH ACTION
JF - GLOBAL HEALTH ACTION
SN - 1654-9880
ER -