Ethnic Variations in Healthcare Service Utilization and Access in Vietnamese Mountainous Setting

Tuan Le Anh,Kien Pham Trung,Tam Ngo Thi,Anh Nguyen Thi Hoang,Dua Nguyen Nhu,Anh Truong Thi Mai,Ha Vu Ngoc,Thanh Luong Trung,Hung Hoang Nam,Bach Nguyen Xuan,Carlo Eduardo Medina-Solis

doi:10.1155/2021/6650303

Tuan Le Anh, Kien Pham Trung + Show 9 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6650303

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Abstract

Evidence of health service use and access across different target groups is essential for policy development, health promotion, and promotion of equity in healthcare. This study aims to look at ethnic variations in health service use and access among residents in mountainous areas of Vietnam. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 321 adults from two mountainous communes in Bac Kan province. Healthcare service use and access were evaluated by using a structured questionnaire. Zero-inflated Poisson regression was used to examine the ethnic variations in the healthcare service use and access. Of 321 mountainous residents, 63.6% used health services in the previous 12 months, of which 24.9% respondents used inpatient services and 47.9% used outpatient services. The number of outpatient medical services used by the Tay participant was higher than that of the Kinh and other ethnic groups (p < 0.05). Multivariate regression results showed that compared to Kinh people, Tay people had a higher number of outpatient service use (Coef. = 0.25, p=0.04), while people in other ethnicities had a lower number of service use (Coef. = −0.64, p=0.01). Meanwhile, no difference was found among groups regarding the number of inpatient service use (p > 0.05). This study showed the ethnic differences in outpatient use of health services among communities living in the northern mountainous setting of Vietnam.

Highlights

Health service access and use are critical indicators to help assess the effectiveness of the health system in delivering healthcare [1,2,3]
A previous study suggested that people in remote and mountainous areas have a high rate of health e Scientific World Journal problems, and there were many social barriers in accessing healthcare services, even with services provided at commune health stations [11]
There is a lack of evidence to consider the differences in healthcare access and use among different ethnic groups in this region. is study aims to look at ethnic variations in health service use and access among residents in mountainous areas of Vietnam

Summary

Introduction

Health service access and use are critical indicators to help assess the effectiveness of the health system in delivering healthcare [1,2,3]. Inequality in access to health services can significantly affect the health status and quality of life of people in inaccessible places [4, 5]. E availability of primary healthcare facilities in all localities is a significant effort of the Vietnamese health system to ensure that people have access to essential preventive, management, and treatment services. There is still inequality in health service access and use among people between urban and remote areas [1, 8]. A previous study suggested that people in remote and mountainous areas have a high rate of health e Scientific World Journal problems, and there were many social barriers in accessing healthcare services, even with services provided at commune health stations [11]

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Results

Conclusion