Background: Previous studies focusing on high-income countries have shown that young people often face greater barriers to accessing healthcare than older adults.However, in low-middle income countries (LMICs), there have been a paucity of cross-country, quantitative studies highlighting these barriers.Aim: This exploratory study aims to provide a scoping review of the publicly available Demographic and Heath Survey (DHS) data with a view to form the basis for further work.Materials and methods: Data on insurance coverage, agency, and access to evidence-based family planning from 30 countries in the DHS were compared between age groups. Data on 586,250 participants 15-24 years (33% male) and 854,660 participants 25-49 years (16% male) from 30 LMICs were analyzed.Results: Significantly greater barriers to accessing healthcare were observed across six variables in younger population when compared to older adults across all survey questions with an average of 8.4% point difference. Also, there was wide countrylevel variation: the maximum differences between age groups were 33% points; Rwanda was the only country with no age differences.Discussion: This study highlights several possible themes for future research into improving access to healthcare for young people. These themes include more detailed evaluation of country-specific policies to reduced barriers to healthcare for young people and further research into the causative factors that can influence healthcare utilization by young people. Conclusion:Our analysis showcases increased barriers to healthcare access for young people in LMICs. We argue that they can only be improved by targeted policies and direct community engagement.
Introduction The Syrian Civil War is one of the most significant humanitarian crises in modern times. Since 2011, over 5 million Syrians have fled the country in search of safety. Around 650,000 Syrian refugees are registered in Jordan, 48% of whom are children. The impact of forced displacement on children's wellbeing is poorly understood and requires further investigation. Methods This is a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional qualitative study consisting of 85 semi-structured interviews, conducted with Syrian refugees living in Jordan in 2017, to understand the impact of forced displacement on child refugees' wellbeing. A four-member research team developed a new Code Structure and analyzed the data thematically. Results Education, social integration, behavioral change and mental health, the effect of father's absence, and child marriage, were key areas of consideration. Children not being in school was found to play a big role in child wellbeing because many families had to choose between subsistence and education, with children required to work to earn money for their families. Many parents were afraid to let children out of the house other than for school, resulting in minimal social integration outside the school setting. Children's behavioral changes correlate with the father's absence, and girls were at higher risk of child marriage due to the living conditions of the families. Conclusions Education was a major priority for families, but some children were unable to attend school. A novel finding from this research is that many children faced limited social integration outside of school, significantly affecting wellbeing. Thus, providing school buses, prior English classes, as well as the provision of safe spaces where children can socially interact outside of school, needs to be prioritized. Financial difficulty also needs to be addressed so that children are not pushed into child marriage or made to work for their families' survival. Key messages Safe spaces that parents trust should be provided where children can socially interact outside the school setting. Financial difficulty needs to be addressed so that children are not forced to work for their families’ survival.
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