Christiana Brigitte Sandu (christiana.balan@uaic.ro)
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi
Elisabeta Jaba (ejaba@uaic.ro)
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi
Dănuţ-Vasile Jemna (danut.jemna@uaic.ro)
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi
Cătălina Lionte (catalina.lionte@umfiasi.ro)
Faculty of Medicine, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy
Eugenia Harja (eugenia.harja@ub.ro)
Faculty of Economic Sciences, Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacău
Marc‑Hubert Depret (marc.hubert.depret@univ-poitiers.fr)
Insurance and Risk Management Institute, University of Poitiers
Lydie Ancelot (lydie.ancelot@univ-poitiers.fr)
Insurance and Risk Management Institute, University of Poitiers
Abstract
The paper aims to assess the effect of health care renunciation by pregnant women for financial reasons on the health status of their new-borns. A sample of 512 women who gave birth at “Cuza-Voda” Maternity in Iasi was surveyed. The following methodological approach was used to reach the objectives of the study: assessment of the degree to which pregnant women renounce health care; identification of factors influencing health care renunciation; estimation of the effects of the determinant factors on health care abandonment by pregnant women; assessment of the health status of new-borns; estimation of the effect of health care abandonment by pregnant women on the health of their new-borns. The following statistical methods were applied: Student test, Chi-Square test of independence, binary logistic regression, and nomogram. The results of this study highlighted that socio-demographic factors, psychological factors, and at-risk behaviour factors have significant influence on health care renunciation by pregnant women. Moreover, the new-borns’ health is significantly influenced by the health care renunciation by the mothers during their pregnancy period.
Keywords: vulnerable population, healthcare access, pregnancy, inequalities, unmet need of health care
JEL Classification: I14, J13, P36
