Access to healthcare services among heterosexual Black men in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

While there is a growing body of literature on Black people’s access to HIV services in Canada, the question of how this access varies across Canada’s urban jurisdictions has hitherto never arisen in research and policy. This paper assesses HIV healthcare needs among heterosexual Black men in four Ontario cities of Windsor, London, Toronto and Ottawa. Multivariate results show that heterosexual Black men in Windsor (OR = 3.2; p < .01), London (OR = 2.5; p < .05), and Toronto (OR = 2.2; p < .05) were significantly more likely to experience difficulties getting HIV healthcare compared with those living in the nation’s capital—Ottawa. Also, experiences of discrimination (OR = 1.08; p < .001), not having a family doctor (OR = 1.7; p < .01) and difficulty with the English language (OR = 2.4; p < .01) predicted higher odds of difficulty accessing HIV health needs. These findings suggest that contextually sensitive policies within Canadian cities are needed to help marginalized populations meet their healthcare needs.