Age and Ageing, Vol 28, 67-71, Copyright © 1999 by British Geriatrics Society
S Jitapunkul, M Na Songkhla, N Chayovan, A Chirawatkul, C Choprapawon, Y Kachondham and S Buasai
OBJECTIVES: To examine the pattern of health-service use and associated
factors among elderly people in Thailand. DESIGN: A cross-sectional
multi-stage random sampling household survey. SUBJECTS: 4480 People aged 60
and over. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Responses to illness among elderly Thai
subjects and health-service utilization. RESULTS: Of 1954 elderly Thai
subjects who reported that they had had an illness without hospitalization
during the last month, 93% had sought treatment and 7% did nothing. Just
over a half (52.8%) used health services. Subjects who had self-limiting
symptoms or diseases tended to not use health services, while subjects with
chronic conditions did. Sixty-two percent paid for treatment themselves
while 28% of them had their bills paid by their children. Independent
determinants of health-service use included living in a rural area, being
well-educated and better off, not drinking alcohol and the severity of
illness identified. CONCLUSIONS: We found a low rate of state
health-service use. Children had an important role in taking care of
parents.
ARTICLES
A national survey of health-service use in Thai elders
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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