Health facility access barriers for adults with impairment in Cambodia

This research will examine impairment amongst adults in Cambodia at the subnational level. The focus will be on the inequities in healthcare usage and barriers to healthcare services difference between those with impairments and the non-impaired. Impairment will be defined as a problem or difficulty in a body function which limits activity and the ability to execute certain tasks. Across Cambodia, impairment impacts many different people; barriers to seeking and reaching healthcare services disproportionately impact poor people, therefore the project will offer information into what the barriers are and identify how access for healthcare services can be improved.

Using advanced quantitative methods, the project will examine associations and determinants of health facility usage, comparing those with impairment and without impairment. Out-of-pocket costs and other health expenditures will be estimated and compared between the impaired and non-impaired groups. These will give initial information into the barriers in accessing health facilities in Cambodia. Data will be taken from the Cambodian Socio-Economic Survey and recent Demographic Health Surveys. Following innovative Small Area Estimation (SAE) methodologies will be used, using different types of data to map health facilities at a subnational level alongside impairment prevalence. I will use both the national census and socio-economic remote sensing models to provide data for the SAE, comparing results and therefore developing SAE methodology. The results will show the access to health facilities for impaired adults and potential barriers to be assessed. This analysis has not previously been performed on impairment in Cambodia, thus is unique and will provide new and valuable information crucial for policy making.