Chhetri Yamuna, Khatri Dhurba, Gahatraj Nand Ram
Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lagankhel, Lalitpur, Nepal.
School of Health and Allied Sciences, Pokhara University, Pokhara, Kaski, Nepal.
J Aging Res. 2023 Dec 19;2023:3655259. doi: 10.1155/2023/3655259. eCollection 2023.
Senior citizens are usually infected by multiple chronic conditions and other health problems. Health needs and demand for healthcare services increase with age. However, healthcare services and facilities and their utilization are limited, particularly in developing countries.
To identify the utilization of health services among senior citizens and their contributing factors.
A cross-sectional analytic study was conducted among 293 senior citizens of the Kushma municipality, Nepal, from June to December 2019. A structured questionnaire was used as a data collection tool using a multistage sampling technique. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data on the interview schedule. Reliability and validity were maintained by applying different strategies and carefully developing tools, pretesting, double entry, and validation. Data entry, management, and analysis were performed using Epi Data and SPSS software. Research ethics were maintained. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests were performed to infer the findings.
Study participants had a mean age (±SD) of 70.08 (±7.6) years and had various preexisting chronic diseases such as hypertension (46%), gastritis (41.9%), arthritis (34.3%), and asthma (28.7%). Only eight out of ten senior citizens had used health services in the past year. Factors such as age, ethnicity, residency, household income, family support, the presence of chronic diseases, and being under medication were found to have statistically significant associations with the utilization of health services among senior citizens with a value less than 0.05 and 95% confidence interval.
A remarkable proportion of older people reported using health services in the last year. However, a substantial proportion did not utilize health services that require further interventions to enable them. Efforts are required to promote the health and well-being of Nepal's growing elderly population, including potential enhancements to rural healthcare infrastructure by policymakers.
老年人通常患有多种慢性疾病和其他健康问题。对医疗保健服务的健康需求和需求随着年龄的增长而增加。然而，医疗保健服务和设施及其利用率是有限的，特别是在发展中国家。
确定老年人对健康服务的利用情况及其影响因素。
2019年6月至12月，在尼泊尔库什马市的293名老年人中进行了一项横断面分析研究。使用结构化问卷作为数据收集工具，采用多阶段抽样技术。通过面对面访谈收集访谈时间表上的数据。通过应用不同的策略和精心开发工具、预测试、双录入和验证来维持可靠性和有效性。使用Epi Data和SPSS软件进行数据录入、管理和分析。维护研究伦理。进行描述性和推断性统计测试以推断研究结果。
研究参与者的平均年龄（±标准差）为70.08（±7.6）岁，患有多种既往慢性疾病，如高血压（46%）、胃炎（41.9%）、关节炎（34.3%）和哮喘（28.7%）。在过去一年中，每十名老年人中只有八人使用过医疗服务。年龄、种族、居住情况、家庭收入、家庭支持、慢性病的存在以及正在服药等因素被发现与老年人对医疗服务的利用存在统计学上的显著关联，p值小于0.05，置信区间为95%。
相当比例的老年人报告在过去一年中使用过医疗服务。然而，相当大比例的人没有利用医疗服务，这需要进一步干预以促使他们使用。需要做出努力来促进尼泊尔不断增长的老年人口的健康和福祉，包括政策制定者对农村医疗基础设施的潜在改善。
