A Quantitative Study Exploring the Social Determinants of Health in the North West Region of Cameroon

Health and wellbeing are shaped by social and economic factors. These factors are known as Social Determinants of Health and are defined as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. A number of factors shape wellbeing including distribution of money, power, and resources both at global, national and local level. The purpose of this study was to explore the social determinants of health and health disparities amongst patients who seek health services in health facilities of the North West Region of Cameroon. The study was a cross sectional survey that used a structured questionnaire to collect quantitative data from 430 participants. The main findings of the study show that the vicious cycle of interactions between low educational levels, low income levels and poverty reinforces a pattern of social disadvantages, health inequalities and ill health in the targeted communities. There were some factors identified that put poor communities at a health disadvantage; these included unemployment (43.5%) low income levels (43.8%) and low educational levels (40%). These factors contribute to the social and economic inequalities amongst communities. In conclusion, the study showered that social determinants of health are important factors for understanding health care outcomes. There is the need to further use a larger dataset to explore the effectiveness and progress towards health equity related to social determinants of health in Cameroon.