Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care accessibility among visible minority females living in Canadian metropolitan cities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore whether the intersecting factors of race and sex contribute to challenges accessing healthcare services in metropolitan areas of Ontario and British Columbia, Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. A secondary data analysis was conducted using an existing Statistics Canada data set collected during April 2020. Results indicate that white females reported more barriers to accessing care than visible minority females. Caution should be taken when interpreting these results. The use of health services differs within different ethnicities. Access to health care is multi-dimensional and is strongly influenced by one’s knowledge, values, expectations, and socio-cultural factors. As well as other indicators: cost, location, distribution, and transportation. An intersectionality approach is key, however, research study designs that use a mixed methods approach, incorporating inductive and deductive data analysis, are essential to understanding the different variables impacting access to care.