Assessing the role of micro credit in improving the health of women and children in Sekyere West District, Ghana
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Date
2004-11-21
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Abstract
Poverty is basically a feminine phenomenon with more than 70% of the world’s poor being women. These are not only poor but are living in poor conditions and caring for their families and children. Poverty and ill health are entwined; poverty breeds ill health and ill health maintains poverty.
This study compared the health of women who have access to credits (“clients”) and those undergoing training prior to accessing credit (“potential clients”) and their children under five years. It had a sample size of 200 that is 100 clients and 100 potential clients who are members of the Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT) in the Sekyere West district of Ashanti and their children below age five. Both close and open-ended questions were used in the questionnaire. It was pre-tested and used to collect information from the respondents using face-to-face interview as well as a weighing scale for the anthropometrical measurements. The respondents were randomly selected and the information collected was analyzed and presented through pie and bar charts, and tables. A 95% confidence interval was used to determine whether the difference between the two groups was statistically significant.
The study revealed that all the respondents used the credit to improve the well being of their families. Payment of school fees was the greatest reason for accessing credit. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of the clients and (36%) of the potential clients accessed credit for this purpose. Respondents (65% clients and 56% potential clients) mostly go to the informal health sector especially the chemical shop when they are sick. Almost all clients and potential clients attend antenatal and postnatal clinics when they are pregnant and about 58% of the clients and 55% of the potential clients deliver under supervision. Though there is 100% knowledge about family planning only 20% of the clients and 35% of the potential clients use it. . The study does not show statistical differences between the two groups in their health service utilization except in the use of family planning services where potential clients were more likely than clients to use.
The Under-five children of the clients (87%) were better nourished than those of the potential clients (36%) with about (10%) of potential client’s children being severely malnourished.
Health to the respondents was not a priority reason for accessing credit. Micro credit should be given with education to encourage the women to assess health care from the formal health sector in other to improve their health.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Community Health, School of Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial
fulfilment of the requirements for the award of MSc.degree in Health Services Planning and Management, 2004