Health Service Utilization Among People With Noncommunicable Diseases in Rural Vietnam.

CONTEXT: Chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have been shown to be major causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitals for the whole country.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the situation of health service utilization among people with NCDs in a rural area and identify association between the situation of health service utilization among people with chronic diseases and their socioeconomic status.

DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study.

SETTING: A rural district located in the North of Vietnam.

PARTICIPANTS: People 15 years of age and older. Health service utilization was analyzed only among people who reported having NCD.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data were collected through a personal household interview conducted by 12 trained field workers. The dependent variable is health care service utilization among people with chronic NCDs. The explanatory variables include both household attributes such as household economic conditions, and so forth, and individual characteristics.

RESULTS: Eighteen percent of the adults and 51% of the elderly respondents reported having at least 1 of the NCDs. The proportions of people with NCDs who used at least 1 outpatient service and used at least 1 inpatient health service during the last 12 months were 68.1% and 10.7%, respectively (the nonutilization rates of 31.9% and 89.3%, respectively). The statistically significant correlates of health care service utilization among people with NCDs were ethnicity (ethnic minority was significantly associated with a lower odds of health care service utilization) and health insurance (no health insurance was significantly associated with lower odds of health care service utilization).

CONCLUSION: Given the evidence from this study, actions to improve access to health care services among people with NCDs are clearly needed. The capacity of primary health care system for the prevention and control of NCDs should be ranked a top priority.