Social capital, access to healthcare, and health-related quality of life in urban Ghana

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examines the status and relationship amongst social capital, access to healthcare and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of urban residents in Ghana. It also explores the moderating role of social capital in the association between access to healthcare and HRQoL of urban residents in Ghana. Data from 1,233 adults were derived from a cross-sectional survey on social epidemiology in five regions and were analyzed using ordinal logistic regression models. Approximately 24.1% of the respondents had low access to healthcare. We found that 41.8% and 10.1% of them rated their health as average and poor, respectively. Access to healthcare (B = 0.777, p < .001) and bridging social capital (B = 0.281, p < .01) were positively associated with HRQoL. However, linking social capital was negatively related to HRQoL (B = −0.199, p < .01). Bridging social capital (B = 0.435, p < .01) positively moderated the association between access to healthcare and HRQoL. The study expands our understanding of social determinants of health outcomes. It proffers that universal health coverage interventions in urban Ghana should actively but cautiously leverage available social resources to improve population health.