Influence of socioeconomic status, wealth and financial empowerment on gender differences in health and healthcare utilization in later life: evidence from India

Predictors of public and private healthcare utilization and associated health system responsiveness among older adults in Ghana

“…Although limited studies about predictors of healthcare utilization distinguish between public and private healthcare facilities, previous studies in LMICs have also reported that wealth status or economic factors were associated with the use of health services [12,15,34]. A study from a high-income country, Hong Kong, suggested that older adults with lower income had significantly greater healthcare needs and were more likely to use both public and private facilities than higher-income groups.…”

Health service use, out-of-pocket payments and catastrophic health expenditure among older people in India: The WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE)

“…Accordingly, effective social protection schemes are required to prevent impoverishment in older people who seek healthcare and to facilitate access for those resource-poor older people who otherwise avoid needed healthcare services 41. The elevated risk of catastrophic health expenditure among older men in India has been attributed to differences in health-seeking behaviour, expenditure pattern and morbidity profiles 24 42. Moreover, inequalities in access to financial resources for older women due to lack of social and economic independence42 might reduce their ability to access healthcare services and subsequent out-of-pocket payments.…”

“…The elevated risk of catastrophic health expenditure among older men in India has been attributed to differences in health-seeking behaviour, expenditure pattern and morbidity profiles 24 42. Moreover, inequalities in access to financial resources for older women due to lack of social and economic independence42 might reduce their ability to access healthcare services and subsequent out-of-pocket payments. Even though reducing catastrophic health expenditure remains a neglected issue, the factors contributing to this expenditure are largely modifiable.…”

Gender differences in the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and depressive symptoms in older adults

“…The Whitehall study also suggested a stronger association between wealth and depressive symptoms for men than women (Martikainen et al, 2003). In addition, wealth implies financial autonomy, the ability to control one's health and wellbeing (Silveira, 2005;Roy and Chaudhuri, 2008;Allin et al, 2009). In a patriarchal Korean society, wealth may confer men financial empowerment in accessing health care and social capital, contributing to a mental health advantage.…”