Research article summary (published 30 Aug 2009):

Factors associated with non-use of inpatient hospital care service by elderly people in China.

Full Abstract

The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to estimate non-use of inpatient hospital care service by elderly people in China and to examine associations between service non-use during the past 12 months and an array of predisposing, enabling and need factors. Using a fully structured questionnaire, trained health personnel interviewed 4046 Chinese aged 60 and older in Zhejiang province selected by a two-stage stratified cluster sampling scheme between September and December 2007. Based on the Andersen behavioural model, hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to explore the predictors of non-use of this service. The rate of non-use was 14.2% [95% confidence interval (CI), 13.1-15.3%] for inpatient hospital care service. Logistic regression analyses revealed that enabling factors were more important than either predisposing or need factors in predicting non-use of inpatient hospital care service.Predisposing factors other than education were not significant, and only the need factor of number of diseases was significant for non-use of inpatient hospital care service. The odds of non-use for those with a college or higher degree were 0.36 times (95% CI, 0.21-0.62) the odds for those with primary or lower education. The odds of non-use in the presence of 4-10 diseases and 1-3 diseases were 3.10 times (95% CI,1.96-4.89) and 2.14 times (95% CI, 1.45-3.14), respectively, of those having no disease. Among the four enabling factors, only degree of living satisfaction score was not significantly associated with non-use of inpatient hospital care service. For elderly persons with higher healthcare expenditure, joining new rural cooperative medical insurance or having low social support, the odds of reporting non-use of inpatient hospital care services were raised by a factor of 1.6-8.0. Findings indicated that, in the absence of universal and comprehensive medical insurance coverage,enabling factors are more important than either predisposing or need factors in predicting non-use.

Author information

Author/s: Wang, Junfang (J); Wu, Yinyin (Y); Zhou, Biao (B); Zhang, Shuangshuang (S); Zheng, Weijun (W); Chen, Kun (K);

Affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Zhejiang University School of Public Health, Hangzhou, China. wangfang2000(-atsign-)yahoo.com.cn

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Health & social care in the community (Health Soc Care Community), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Sep; vol 17 (issue 5) : pp 476-84

Dates: Created 2009/08/19; Completed 2009/11/04;

PMID: 19456901, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/4/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Aged Aged, 80 and over China Cross-Sectional Studies Educational Status Female Health Expenditures

Health Expenditures Humans Inpatients Male Patient Acceptance of Health Care Questionnaires Social Support

Related articles

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

• Predictors of Pap smear screening in socioeconomically disadvantaged elderly women. 27 Feb 1995
• Risk communication and older people-understanding of probability and risk information by medical inpatients aged 75 years and older. 30 Oct 2001
• Gender difference in knowledge of tuberculosis and associated health-care seeking behaviors: a cross-sectional study in a rural area of China. 6 Oct 2008
• Widowhood in elderly women: exploring its relationship to community integration, hassles, stress, social support, and social support seeking. 30 Dec 1991
• Vitamin D deficiency in general medical inpatients in summer and winter. 30 May 2007
• Repetitive phenomena in dementia. 30 Dec 1999
• Patient characteristics in relation to perceptions of how individualized care is delivered--research into the sensitivity of the Individualized Care Scale. 29 Jun 2006
• Persistence in Medicare reimbursements and personal medical accounts. 11 Oct 2005
• Prevalence, treatment, and control of hypertension by sociodemographic factors among the Dutch elderly. 28 Feb 2000
• Age-related differences in the frequency of personality disorders among inpatient veterans. 30 Aug 2000

See 100+ related articles.

Related Article Map

Legend: - FREE Full text Article. - Abstract only. - Title only. More help.

See a large map of 100+ related articles.