Access to health care in relation to socioeconomic status in the Amazonian area of Peru

Table 5 Type of financing for antibiotics prescribed by public sector health professionals, in relation to wealth quarters

	Financing for antibiotics prescribed by public sector
	Yurimaguas			Moyobamba
	Free of charge	Paid Out-of-pocket	Total	Free of charge	Paid Out-of-pocket	Total
Poorest (Q1)	21 (91%)	2 (9%)	23	12 (86%)	2 (14%)	14
Q2	33 (92%)	3 (8%)	36	18 (100%)	-	18
Q3	15 (75%)	5 (25%)	20	15 (71%)	6 (29%)	21
Least poor (Q4)	15 (54%)	13 (46%)	28	18 (72%)	7 (28%)	25
	84	23	107	63	15	78

Wealth quarters were defined by principal component analysis (PCA). Quartile 1 (Q1) represents the poorest quartile of the study sample (the relatively poorest caregivers), quartile 2 (Q2) the second poorest, quartile 3 (Q3) the second lest poor quartile and quarter 4 (Q4) the least poor quartile. Number of children receiving antibiotics prescribed by public sector health professionals provided free-of-charge or in return for out-of-pocket payment stated as numbers, with percentage per quartile and community shown in parentheses. Chi-square tests have been used to assess differences between two poorest (Q1 and Q2) and two least poor (Q3 and Q4) strata. Significant difference between strata was found for Yurimaguas (p < 0.05) but not for Moyobamba.

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