Does Catastrophic Health Expenditure affect Health Satisfaction status among Road Traffic Injury victims? A Sociological Perspective

Abstract

Road Traffic Injury (RTI) is one of the major public health concerns worldwide. It often leads to significant out-of-pocket expenses for victims and their families. Such financial constraints are termed as catastrophic health expenditure (CHE), that may have far-reaching sociological implications like reducing health satisfaction is one of them. The objective of this study was to discover and explore the association between CHE and health satisfaction scores (HSS) among RTI victims in District Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The aim was purely studied on a sociological basis to understand the wider circumstances of financial constraints triggered by injury-related healthcare costs. This study was designed based on a cross-sectional survey specifically focusing on RTI survivors. A structured questionnaire was employed to collect data from respondents. For examining associations between CHE indicators and HSS, bivariate analysis (Chi-square tests and Kendall’s Tau-b). Likewise, at multivariate level, association between the variables were undertaken by controlling demographic variables (age, gender, education, and income). The results of the study indicate that significant negative associations were found between various indicators of CHE, such as emergency care payments, rehabilitation costs exceeding income, borrowing for treatment, and lower HSS (p < 0.001). The association was found significant among middle-aged (31–60 years) and low-income group of respondents. Gender and education also moderated these associations, with illiterate and male respondents showing higher vulnerability to reduced satisfaction. The study concluded that the CHE has detrimental effect on perceived health satisfaction among the RTI survivors, with vulnerable group bearing the huge burden. To mitigate such effects and promote equity in post-injury care and recovery, strengthening financial protection mechanisms is indispensable, such as health insurance and targeted subsidies etc.