Exploring barriers to accessing health care services by young women in rural settings: a qualitative study in Australia, Canada, and Sweden

Summary & key facts

This study interviewed 31 young women aged 18–24 who live in rural areas of Australia, Canada, and Sweden to find out what stops them from using health services. Women described problems at three levels: personal (for example, not knowing what services exist, feeling uncomfortable or judged, and being unable to afford care), institutional (for example, few local resources, staff who seemed insensitive to gender or judgmental, limited appointment time, and poor privacy), and structural (for example, long travel distances, low rural health budgets, and gaps in insurance coverage). The findings come from in-depth interviews done between May 2019 and January 2021 and reflect the participants’ ow

Key facts:

• The study interviewed 31 young women aged 18–24 from rural communities in Australia, Canada, and Sweden.
• Data were collected from May 2019 to January 2021 using semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed with NVivo software.
• Participants described barriers at three levels: individual, institutional, and structural.
• Individual barriers reported included limited knowledge of available services, negative attitudes toward care, psychological discomfort when seeking help, and affordability problems.
• Institutional barriers included limited local healthcare resources, gender-insensitive or judgmental providers, short appointment times, and lack of privacy or confidentiality in facilities.
• Structural barriers included socio-cultural and gender norms, gaps in universal insurance coverage, low rural health budgets, and long geographic distances to providers.
• Because the study used qualitative interviews about self-perceived experiences, the results describe participants’ perspectives and are not statistical estimates of how common each barrier is.

Abstract

Appropriate strategies and policies must be introduced to promote access to healthcare services in rural and remote areas even in most high-`income countries.

Topics

Diversity and Career in Medicine Global Health Workforce Issues Healthcare Systems and Challenges

Categories

Emergency Medical Services Health Professions Health Sciences

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Biostatistics Business Confidentiality Demography Economic growth Economics Focus group Health care Health policy Health services research Law Marketing Medicine Nursing Pathology Political science Public health Qualitative research Residence Rural area Social science Sociology