Khongboon Pattaraporn, Pongpanich Sathirakorn
College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
Prince Mahidol Award Foundation under the Royal Patronage, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Bangkoknoi, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
J Aging Res. 2018 Jan 17;2018:4180565. doi: 10.1155/2018/4180565. eCollection 2018.
Rural-urban inequality in long-term care (LTC) services has been increasing alongside rapid socioeconomic development. This study estimates the average spending on LTC services and identifies the factors that influence the use and cost of LTC for the elderly living in urban and rural areas of Thailand.
The sample comprised 837 elderly aged 60 years drawn from rural and urban areas in Phichit Province. Costs were assessed over a 1-month period. Direct costs of caregiving and indirect costs (opportunity cost method) were analyzed. Binary logistic regression was performed to determine which factors affected LTC costs.
The total annual LTC spending for rural and urban residents was on average USD 7,285 and USD 7,280.6, respectively. Formal care and informal care comprise the largest share of payments. There was a significant association between rural residents and costs for informal care, day/night care, and home renovation.
Even though total LTC expenditures do not seem to vary significantly across rural and urban areas, the fundamental differences between areas need to be recognized. Reorganizing country delivery systems and finding a balance between formal and informal care are alternative solutions.
随着社会经济的快速发展，长期护理（LTC）服务中的城乡不平等现象日益加剧。本研究估算了长期护理服务的平均支出，并确定了影响泰国城乡老年人长期护理使用情况和成本的因素。
样本包括从披集府城乡地区抽取的837名60岁及以上的老年人。成本评估为期1个月。分析了护理的直接成本和间接成本（机会成本法）。进行二元逻辑回归以确定哪些因素影响长期护理成本。
农村和城市居民的年度长期护理总支出平均分别为7285美元和7280.6美元。正规护理和非正规护理占支出的最大份额。农村居民与非正规护理、日/夜护理和房屋翻新成本之间存在显著关联。
尽管农村和城市地区的长期护理总支出似乎没有显著差异，但仍需认识到地区之间的根本差异。重组国家提供系统并在正规护理和非正规护理之间找到平衡是可供选择的解决方案。
