Marital Status and Health Insurance: Navigating African Beliefs and Dilemmas on Healthcare Products

The exit of major pharmaceutical companies has created a complex situation in the availability and accessibility of healthcare products, especially in an environment where traditional medicine competes for relevance with orthodox medicine among the poor populace. Dilemmas and beliefs have never been successfully contained against orthodox healthcare products. The study focused on the role of dilemmas and beliefs on the marketability of healthcare products while controlling the influence of marital status and healthcare insurance. A cross-sectional survey was adopted, and 128 responses were collected from healthcare practitioners in rural areas. Correlation and hierarchical regression were adopted in the analysis. Cultural dilemma, cultural belief, and ethical belief were significant predictors of the marketability of healthcare products after controlling for marital status and healthcare insurance. Cultural belief was the strongest predictor among the significant variables. The implication is that cultural beliefs such as opinions on food and diets, learned experiences, and family roles regarding healthcare products affect the marketability of healthcare products.