%0 Journal Article
%T Socioeconomic status and health shocks; analysis of coping strategies in rural households of Enugu State, Nigeria
%A Adewoyin
%A Chinasa E.
%A Ezebuilo R. & Ene
%A Jecinta C.
%A Ukwueze
%A Urama
%A Yemi
%J African Population Studies
%D 2019
%X Background: Health burden in rural areas of developing countries is worsened by the limited coverage of health insurance. With constrained access to quality healthcare and constituting two thirds of Nigeria¡¯s poor, this study investigates how rural households cope with health shocks consequent on their socioeconomic status. Method: Data was collected from 600 households in Enugu using a questionnaire. Cross-tabulation, chi square and multiple regression statistical techniques were employed for data analysis. Findings: About 53% of the respondents were male household-heads while borrowing (47.65%), sales of assets (43.85%), diversion of funds (2.00%) and reduced expenditure (6.48%) were the main coping strategies. Education, occupation, and income statistically influenced the coping strategies (P < 0.005) and jointly accounted for 26.5% (R2 = 0.265, P < 0.001) of the variations in coping strategies. Conclusion: Having a rural healthcare policy and mainstreaming the informal sector into the national health insurance scheme will ameliorate health shocks among the rural poor
%U http://www.bioline.org.br/abstract?id=ep19013&lang=en